Children of the Dark - Year 6
by cleotheo
Summary: It's sixth year and the truth is finally out about Harry and Hermione. However, that doesn't mean it's a quiet year for the trio as the Order are still out there, vowing to take down the dark. Dark Harry! Dark Hermione! Part six of a seven part story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Here we are with year 6 of COTD. This year has 36 chapters. I'm just starting on year 7 so for the time being updates will be twice weekly, on Monday and Friday. This year features absolutely nothing from the canon sixth year, as from this point this story is truly unique. This year will also see some chapters from the Order's side of things, as they're still a very big part of events in both this year and year 7. This year also features more Dramione moments as well as some more sedate chapters as the trio don't have to hide their friendship anymore, and Harry and Hermione can be themselves. I hope people enjoy year 6 as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

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The death of Albus Dumbledore, and events at Hogwarts, were the big news stories in the wizarding world. Nearly everyone had an opinion on what had occurred, and the papers were reporting very little else. For days it was all people could talk about, and Voldemort and the dark remained very quiet as he took in the public's reaction to what had happened.

Of course several members of the Order of the Phoenix called for Voldemort to be arrested for murder, but their pleas were turned down by the Minister of Magic, Bernard Nott. Nott released a public statement a few days after the incident, stating that since Dumbledore had been killed in a wizarding duel, there were no charges that could be brought against anyone. Dumbledore had knowingly entered a duel where the loser more often than not died, therefore his death was not ruled as murder.

As well as Dumbledore's death, the other big news were the revelations about Voldemort's family. It had taken the wizarding world by surprise when they'd found that the dark wizard had two children, Severus Snape and Hermione Granger. However, things had then taken an even more stunning turn when it was revealed that Severus had a son, none other than Harry Potter.

For a few days, Voldemort had kept his family out of the spotlight as he digested how people were reacting to recent events. It quickly became clear that the wizarding world were split into three camps. The two smallest camps, either publically supported Voldemort or publically renounced him. However, the vast majority of the wizarding world were taking a neutral stance. At the minute people were waiting to see how their lives would be affected, before pledging their allegiance to either side. Of course, Voldemort had no problem with people remaining neutral, and he had no intention of hurting people who weren't trying to bring him down. His enemies were in the Order, and those who supported them, as for everyone else, he wished them no ill will and he had no intention of interfering with their lives in any way.

"I've made a decision," He announced one morning over breakfast, after reading the morning's paper and finding things were slowly returning to normal in the wizarding world.

"What about?" Beth Granger, Voldemort's wife asked.

"We're going to throw a party," Voldemort declared. "It's time Severus, Hermione and Harry made a public appearance. It's time my Death Eaters got to know them as my family."

"And what about their families, will they be there?" Hermione asked, hoping her father was including some youngsters in his plans for a party, especially her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.

"Don't worry, Draco will be at the party," Voldemort replied with a chuckle. "In fact, I was thinking of inviting a lot of families. It's about time you and Harry got to know some more people your own age."

"Technically we do know them," Harry piped up. "We've been going to school with these people for five years."

"But the only one you really know is Draco," Voldemort pointed out. "It'll be nice for you to have some more friends. Especially since you've have likely lost all of your other friends."

"I guess we'll have to see," Harry replied with a shrug. No doubt they'd lost the friendship of the Weasleys, but that was more of a blessing than a curse, and as for everyone else, Harry was reserving judgement until it was time to go back to Hogwarts.

"Speaking of returning to school, will either of you want resorting in the New Year?" Severus asked. Even though it hadn't been officially announced, he would be taking over as Headmaster in September.

"I'd love to be in Slytherin, but I think we can have more fun in Gryffindor," Harry answered with a wicked smirk. "Besides, I want to be quidditch captain, and Draco is the Slytherin captain. Plus we play the same position."

"Hermione, are you happy to stay where you are?" Severus checked. He was rather surprised by Harry wanting to stay in Gryffindor, but at the same time he could see the potential for his son and sister to create waves in the lion's den.

"I'm happy in Gryffindor," Hermione confirmed. "Besides, now the truth is out there'll be no more hiding. We can spend time with Draco without having to hide. Being in different houses won't be such a barrier anymore."

"As long as you're sure," Severus said. "This will be your only chance to move. I'm not moving you in a few months because people are making things hard for you."

"Since when have we cared what other people think?" Hermione snorted. "Don't worry about us Severus, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, we will," Harry agreed. "Although there is one thing I want. Obviously I can stop pretending to be a Potter, so I don't want anyone calling me that next year."

"I can change your school records to reflect the change," Severus said. "Although, I also thought we could do it officially. I've been looking into it, and we need a blood test to prove you're really my son, and then the Ministry will change your birth certificate. How about we go and see to that today, and then Rosmerta invited us for dinner this evening."

"Sounds good to me," Harry replied, grinning at his father. "Although why we're out, I want to go to Gringotts. I've got a record of all the withdrawals I had to make from the Potters vault, and I want to return the money."

"We can do that easily," Severus said. "Hermione, do you want to join us?"

"Actually, I was hoping Hermione might want to come with me this afternoon," Voldemort said, before his daughter could agree to go out with her brother and nephew. "I'm going to the Ministry to pay Dolores Umbridge a visit."

Hermione snarled slightly at the mention of the witch who'd been the Defence against the Dark Arts Professor for the first few months of the previous year at Hogwarts. Not only was Umbridge an awful teacher, but she'd been abusive towards her students. One time Hermione had landed herself in detention, and Umbridge had forced her to use a quill which tore into her flesh. Hermione had refused to use the quill and walked out of detention, leading to Umbridge's eventual sacking as a Professor. After she'd lost her job at Hogwarts, she'd also been demoted at the Ministry, with criminal charges threatened against her. However, Voldemort had told Nott to hold off on prosecuting her until he was ready to deal with her, and now Dumbledore was gone, he had time to deal with the witch who'd tried to hurt his daughter.

"I'm in," Hermione told her father, looking forward to witnessing what her father had in store for the frumpy, old witch. "What are you going to do to her?"

"Actually, I thought you might like to dish out the punishment," Voldemort said. "Think about it this morning, and let me know what you want to do to her."

"I can do anything to her?" Hermione checked.

"As long as she lives through it, yes," Voldemort replied.

"Cool," Hermione gushed, her devious mind already brimming with dark possibilities.

"Well, since you all have plans, I'll go and visit Narcissa," Beth said. "We can start planning this party. When do you want to hold it?"

"As soon as possible, but I know you and Narcissa will need time to prepare," Voldemort replied.

"If anyone can organise a successful party in a few days, it's Narcissa," Beth remarked with a laugh. Narcissa threw some of the best parties going, and Beth was confident that together they could organise a get together everyone would enjoy.

With plans for the day made, breakfast was finished and the family went their separate ways. While Severus, Harry and Beth, left the house, Hermione and Voldemort remained at home. While Voldemort did a bit of work in his study, Hermione went to her room where she thought about Umbridge. By lunchtime she'd thought of the perfect way to punish Umbridge, and when she informed her father he thought it was a genius idea and he promised to have everything in place for when they went to see her.

The visit to Umbridge took place less than an hour after lunch, and Hermione was surprised when her father told her they were going to the Ministry. As expected, all eyes were on them as they alighted from the fires in the atrium, however Voldemort strolled confidently over to the gold elevators that stood at the far side of the atrium. Hermione walked proudly at her father's side, and she was surprised by how many people dipped their heads in respect as he passed. A few people shot him dirty looks, but on a whole people were either polite or did their best to keep out of his way.

The pair travelled up to the top floor, which housed the Ministers offices, in an elevator carriage all to themselves. A couple of people did try to enter the lift with them, but Voldemort gave them a piercing stare and they backed off. When they arrived on the top floor, Hermione was surprised to find there wasn't many staff around. Bernard Nott was waiting to greet them, and when he led them to his office, his personal assistant was nowhere to be seen.

"Slow day?" Voldemort questioned, also noticing the lack of staff on the top floor.

"Quite the contrary," Bernard replied. "My staff are busy making sure the new muggleborn laws are ready to go when we get the list of muggleborns from Hogwarts. We're also starting to make inroads into the muggles who already know about the wizarding world. Of course, things will be better when I can get a complete list of muggleborn students from Hogwarts."

"Severus will see to that once he's taken over as Headmaster," Voldemort replied. "Speaking of which, we'll make the announcement soon. If we're going to have problems with the staff, we'll need time to recruit more."

"We can set something up for next week," Bernard said, making a quick note on some parchment that sat on his desk.

"Quite, but right now, I believe we have an appointment," Voldemort said. "Is she already here?"

"She'll be on her way up as we speak," Bernard replied.

No sooner had the words left the Minster's mouth when the sound of the lift alerted them to someone getting off on the top floor. Minutes later there was a hesitant knock on the door and when Bernard swung the door open, Dolores Umbridge stood outside his office. Hermione was pleased to note Umbridge's smugness had disappeared, and she looked downright nervous when she entered the Minister's office. Although the second she spotted Voldemort, her nervousness turned to obvious fear.

"Take a seat, Ms Umbridge," Voldemort offered in a low deadly voice as he pulled out a chair in front of the Minister's desk.

Umbridge shot Bernard a worried look, but when he just leant against his office door and remained silent, she slowly crossed the office and sat down in the seat Voldemort had held out for her. Slowly Voldemort walked around Bernard's desk and settled himself in the Minister's chair. For a moment he merely watched Umbridge as she shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, before he turned to where Hermione was standing against the wall.

"She's all yours, my dear," He announced with a smirk as he settled back to watch the show. "Bernard, did you acquire what I requested?"

"In the top draw, My Lord," Bernard replied.

Hermione walked over to Bernard's desk, and opened the top drawer. Finding what she'd asked for, she pulled out the parchment and placed it in front of Umbridge. Umbridge frowned at the parchment, but her frown disappeared and was replaced with a look of horror as Hermione produced a very familiar quill from the drawer.

"Ah, I see you recognise the quill," Hermione chuckled as she set it down on top of the parchment lying in front of Umbridge. "Although you really ought to considering it's one of your special ones. Now, what do I want you to write, let's think?" Hermione paced the floor beside Umbridge for a few seconds, before turning back to the witch with a deliciously evil smirk on her face. "You can write, I'm an evil old toad."

Umbridge looked up at Hermione, totally appalled, but when she looked around the room it was clear she wasn't getting any support from elsewhere.

"Do it," Voldemort ordered in a deadly voice as Umbridge continued to hesitate. "Now, before I force you."

Slowly Umbridge picked up the quill and with a shaking hand she began to write. Almost immediately she let out a hiss of pain and shook her left hand. Moving forward, Hermione grabbed hold of Umbridge's wrist and placed her left hand flat against the desk so she could see the damage she was causing.

"I want to see the words forming on your skin," She hissed as Umbridge continued to slowly write. "Maybe this will show you how much pain and suffering you caused the students last year. You know I did some digging after you left, and it turned out you'd tortured quite a few students with your quills. Now you get to see what it feels like."

As she continued to write, Umbridge began to sob quietly, but Hermione didn't take pity on her. She stood right beside her, holding onto her wrist as the words 'I'm an evil old toad', etched themselves onto Umbridge's skin. After nearly ten minutes the blood was flowing profusely, and Hermione suspected Umbridge might even be permanently scarred. Not that she took pity on her, she made her continue writing for another five minutes before she finally released her grip on the sobbing woman.

"I think you've got the message," Hermione announced.

"And now it's time for me to deliver mine," Voldemort said, causing Umbridge to look up at him in horror. "You didn't think this was it, did you?" He chuckled. "This was merely Hermione's payback, but now I'm going to teach you that's it's unwise to try and hurt my daughter. Get to your feet, you're coming with me." As Umbridge slowly got to her feet, with Hermione making sure she didn't try to run, Voldemort turned to Bernard. "I think you're going to need to find someone else to take over Ms Umbridge's job, we can call this her resignation."

"It'll be my pleasure to replace her," Bernard sneered. He'd been all for sending the witch to Azkaban after what she'd done to his son, but this seemed like an appropriate punishment as he doubted she would survive the Dark Lord's wrath.

"Let's go," Voldemort announced, roughly grabbing hold of Umbridge so she couldn't try to run.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"You are going home," Voldemort answered as they strode back towards the elevators. "And I am going to deal with Ms Umbridge here."

"Can I not come?" Hermione pouted.

"You've had enough violence for the day, Hermione," Voldemort chuckled.

Despite wanting to see what happened to Umbridge, Hermione obeyed her father and when they reached the atrium, she flooed home like a good girl. She then headed over to the manor to see Draco, where they spent the rest of the afternoon debating what sort of punishment Umbridge would be receiving. Although as it turned out, Hermione never did find out what exactly had happened to her. All her father would say was that she'd been dealt with and wouldn't be causing any more problems for them in the future.

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 **A/N 2 - This is the last we see of Umbridge so I'll leave it to each individual person to make their own mind up about just what Voldemort did to her.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - There was a couple of reviews asking about how Voldemort looks in this story - so I thought I'd answer them here so everyone knows for future reference. In this story, Voldemort looks like a normal person since he was never in that bizarre no body state he was in the books and films. In this story, he's always had a body, albeit he was weak and had very little magic until fourth year. Therefore, he just looks normal - and looks wise he resembles Severus and Harry.**

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There was a sombre atmosphere as a section of the Order gathered at Grimmauld Place. A few days earlier Dumbledore had been laid to rest, but Sirius Black had decided it was now time for the Order to look to the future. As tragic as it was to lose Dumbledore, they couldn't lose sight of the real problems they faced. Voldemort was now in a strong position, and he had the support of people who until a few weeks ago were trusted by the Order.

Sirius and his best friend, Remus Lupin, had discussed who to invite to the meeting, and had settled on just including the people they trusted the most. The group included the Weasleys, who turned up with all their children, Kingsley Shackelbolt, Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks and her parents, Ted and Andromeda, as well as a selection of Hogwarts staff.

"We've got something very important we want to discuss," Sirius began. "So before we start, Molly, Arthur, are you sure you want Ron and Ginny to stay?"

"We're not going anywhere," Ron exploded, before either of his parents could answer Sirius.

"You will if we say you will," Arthur said sternly. "But for now, we're happy to let the pair of you stay. Although any more outbursts like that and you'll be sent back home."

"There won't be any outbursts," Ginny reassured her parents, giving her brother a warning glare.

"Okay, so now that's settled, let's move on," Sirius said. "I know we're all still reeling from Dumbledore's death, not to mention the betrayals we suffered, but we have to make plans for the future."

"Is that even possible?" Arthur questioned. "Now we've lost Harry, we don't have any way of defeating You-Know-Who."

"That's not strictly true," Remus said. "Don't forget, everyone thought Harry was going to defeat You-Know-Who because of the prophecy. The prophecy still exists, we just thought it was about Harry when it wasn't. We could work on that and try to find out who it could be."

"Albus did have a second option for the prophecy," Minerva McGonagall informed the group. "He confided in me that he thought the prophecy was either about Harry, or Neville Longbottom. But then the Potters were killed, and the answer was seemingly presented to us."

"Do you think Neville can take on Voldemort?" Kingsley asked. As an Auror, he was one of the few members of the Order not intimidated by saying The Dark Lord's name.

"No way," Ron answered with a snort. "I mean, Neville's a nice enough boy, but he's hopeless with magic. He wouldn't stand a chance against anyone with a dark streak."

"Minerva?" Kingsley turned to the Transfiguration Professor for her opinion.

"I wouldn't say he's hopeless with magic," McGonagall answered. "In fact, in some subjects he'd quite adept at magic. However, from what I've seen he lacks the fighting skills he'd need to take on such a dark wizard. Not to mention the confidence."

"We can build both of those up," Sirius replied. "We need to bring him into the Order, and set about training him up. He lives with his grandmother, doesn't he?"

"He does," McGonagall answered with a nod. "I know Augusta, and I'm not so sure she'll just let you use Neville as a weapon."

"We won't be using him as a weapon," Remus argued. "We'd be helping him fulfill his destiny. No-one will force him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

"And we know they support the light because they turned up at Hogwarts before the final showdown," Sirius pointed out.

"But that might not be the case now," McGonagall warned. "Augusta was pretty affected by what Harry said to Albus before the battle. I've only spoken to her briefly since then, but the impression I got what that she disagreed with a lot of things Albus did in regards to Harry. I wouldn't say she was definitely on our side any longer. She might be wanting to stay neutral."

"We need someone to approach Augusta Longbottom and convince her to allow her grandson the chance to achieve greatness and help us defeat You-Know-Who," Sirius insisted. "We need to get her and Neville back on our side. We need to convince them that staying neutral will only aid You-Know-Who."

"Although sadly, we can't do anything about his reservations about Dumbledore," Remus remarked. "I think we all agree he didn't always handle things with Harry the way he should have."

"I'm not sure I can change her views about Albus, but I can try and talk to Augusta about becoming more involved with the Order," Molly volunteered. "And don't worry, by the time I've finished with her, she'll be thrilled that Neville can play such a crucial role in the war."

"Excellent," Sirius said with a grim nod. "Now gaining a new saviour isn't going to be enough to win this war. I think we're all in agreement that Dumbledore wasn't quite the man we thought he was, but before he died he left a box in my possession, and in it contains everything we need to defeat You-Know-Who once and for all."

"Why did Albus leave a box with you?" Alastor Moody asked warily. "Did he know something we didn't?"

"He didn't know he was going to be killed if that's what you mean," Sirius answered. "He left the box when he thought Harry would be moving in with me. It was something for Harry and I to work on over the holidays. It was also something Dumbledore himself worked on with Harry during last year."

"So you're saying the dark know about this box?" Tonks asked, wincing slightly as she moved her shoulder which was still heavily strapped following her injury at the duel. Luckily, she hadn't lost any real function of the arm, it was just taking a long time to heal enough for her to return to work as an Auror. "What good is it to us, if they know about it?"

"They don't know about it," Sirius answered. "Harry had no idea Dumbledore left the box here. In fact from what I can gather, he's under the impression that no-one but him and Dumbledore know about what's in the box. We've got some information they don't know we have, and information they don't think we have any way of knowing. Unwittingly, Dumbledore has given us the edge in this battle."

"I'm not so sure about that," Molly muttered. "I would say the dark have quite an edge, now they both Harry and Hermione with them."

"They always had them, we just didn't know it," Remus pointed out. "And now the truth is out, they're not hanging around us picking up useful bits of information. You-Know-Who made a mistake in revealing who they both were if you ask me. If he was smart, he should have left one of them with us, so he knew what we were up to. But now, we can work on defeating him and he'll have no way of seeing it coming."

"And won't it be fun when we take him down," Sirius smirked. "Not to mention, Snape, Harry and Hermione. They all need to be taken out as well."

"And as painfully as possible," Ron added with a slight snarl. "They need to pay for betraying us."

"And they will," Molly promised her son. "But for now let's focus on this box. What exactly is in the box, Sirius?"

"The box contains research Dumbledore has been doing into Voldemort," Sirius answered. "Particularly, into some dark magic he'd been doing in order to protect himself. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort had created these things called Horcruxes, and unless they're all destroyed he can't be killed properly."

"Horcruxes?" Molly frowned. "I've never heard of them."

"They're very dark magic," Bill Weasley, the oldest of the Weasley children, provided. "I ran across a few while in Egypt. You can create them when you kill and a piece of your soul detaches itself from you. Your soul then resides in the Horcrux, and as long as it's intact, you're immortal."

"But what exactly is a Horcrux?" Molly asked. "What does one look like?"

"And that's the tricky part," Moody said with an unamused laugh. "A Horcrux can take the form of anything. Anything can be used to create Horcruxes. If Dumbledore is right and Voldemort has one, we'll never be able to find out what it is. He could have just used some random bit of rock as far as we know."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Sirius said smugly. "Dumbledore has extensive notes on the subject. Not only does he believe that Voldemort had created six Horcruxes, therefore splitting his soul into seven, he believes he's used objects that mean something to him."

"Six Horcruxes," Tonks repeated in horror. "Fancy splitting your soul into seven, that's horrendous."

"I'm sure a monster like him doesn't view it the same way as we do," Remus said, shooting Tonks a small smile. "To him, killing is a natural part of his life."

"Indeed," Sirius agreed. "But anyway, Dumbledore was convinced he had six Horcruxes, and that he's hidden them in places that also mean something to him."

"If Dumbledore is right, it means Voldemort is very sentimental," Moody pointed out. "Do we believe that he still has that much humanity?"

"I say yes," Molly said. "I think we can all agree that he's a monster, but recent events have also shown us there's a side to him we didn't know about. Monster or not, it was clear he cared about his children and grandson. I think with that knowledge, we can say that Albus was probably on the right track with the Horcruxes."

"Okay then," Moody conceded. "Tell us what you know, Sirius."

"Dumbledore left us a list of possible Horcruxes, along with a few potential hiding places," Sirius began. "Firstly, he believes one has already been destroyed. A diary that was possessed, or something."

"You mean the diary, I had in my first year?" Ginny asked with a gasp.

Sirius shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know. He only had a few notes on the diary, and he mentioned it had been destroyed a few years ago with a Basilisk fang."

"That's the one," Ginny answered shakily. "Harry destroyed the diary when he and Malfoy rescued me."

"Harry and the Malfoy boy rescued you, why?" Sirius asked with a frown. "Given who Harry is, why not let you die?"

"Now is not the time to dwell on Harry's past actions," Arthur said sternly as Molly checked Ginny was okay with remembering the incident that nearly led to her death.

"I guess not," Sirius conceded. "But if Dumbledore was right, the diary was a Horcrux and now it's gone."

"But how did Ginny get hold of it?" Tonks questioned. "I thought you said all these Horcruxes were hidden."

"That is one question Dumbledore didn't answer," Sirius admitted. "I'm guessing since it was already destroyed, he didn't dwell on how it had gotten into school."

"I think we can all make a guess on that one," Ron snorted. "Ginny just happened to find a diary belonging to You-Know-Who in her belongings, and his daughter and grandson also just happened to be in the same house, and friendly with her. Clearly one of the pair planted it on her."

"It does seem the most reasonable explanation," Charlie agreed. "Although I guess it's a whole other conversation to discuss why they even had the book at Hogwarts in the first place."

"To open the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny whispered. "I can remember finding the book, but not when I found it. What if they didn't plant it on me until they'd had their fun with the chamber first? What if their intention had been to frame me for opening the chamber? What if they'd planned on killing someone and pinning the blame on me?"

"I wonder what went wrong with that plan." Kingsley mused. He thought that Ginny could possibly have hit the nail on the head with her theory, as it made perfect sense.

"Hermione got petrified," Fred offered. "I'm guessing that wasn't part of the plan. Maybe when that happened, they panicked and framed Ginny sooner than planned."

"It's definitely something to think about," Remus said. "But right now, it's not of too much importance. Let's return to the Horcruxes."

Turning back to Sirius, everyone gave him their full attention as he began listing the other things Dumbledore was convinced Voldemort had made into a Horcrux. The first thing was a magical resurrection stone, which was set in a ring. Dumbledore had unearthed a memory of Voldemort suddenly wearing the ring in his last year of school, and he was convinced it was a Horcrux. The next thing was a silver cup, once owned by Helga Hufflepuff. Again, Dumbledore had found a memory of a young Voldemort taking particular interest in the cup, before its current owner had been mysteriously killed and the cup went missing. Using the Hufflepuff connection, Dumbledore had deduced that Voldemort had also likely used something once owned by Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw, although he hadn't yet narrowed down ay possibilities.

"Why nothing from Godric Gryffindor?" Andromeda asked.

"Dumbledore believed that You-Know-Who's loyalty to Slytherin was too strong for him to use something of Gryffindor's," Remus answered.

"I'm not so sure," Moody said. "I'm sure Voldemort would get a kick out of using something once belonging to Gryffindor to help keep him alive. I think it's something we should look into, especially since I noticed you only listed four potential Horcruxes, the diary makes five, and there's supposed to be six."

"Yeah, Dumbledore was clueless on the identity of the sixth one," Sirius admitted. "He seemed convinced we shouldn't be looking at something of Gryffindor's, but I agree it has potential."

"And what about locations?" Tonks asked. "Didn't you say Dumbledore had some places for us to search?"

"Yes, as with the Horcruxes he thinks You-Know-Who uses places that mean something to him to conceal his Horcruxes," Remus replied. "Dumbledore had a list of potential places, although that's a bit smaller than his list of potential Horcruxes."

"A bit, try a lot," Sirius snorted. "Basically he's come up with some cave, where You-Know-Who supposedly visited when he was a child. The house his biological father and grandparents lived in at Little Hangleton, an old deserted cottage his mother and her family lived in, also just outside Little Hangleton, and Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" McGonagall queried. "How could he have hidden something at Hogwarts?"

"Maybe when he was at school there," Sirius suggested. "And recent events prove he can enter the school without anyone knowing about is. Who know how many times he's visited over the years."

"Although, it might not be the castle itself," Remus pointed out. "Dumbledore noted that he could have hidden something on the grounds, or even down in Hogsmeade. He just thought the area was a good place to search."

"Minerva, maybe you can organise some searches when school starts back," Moody suggested. "Some of us can head up to the castle on a weekend."

"And why would I be able to organise searches of the school grounds?" McGonagall asked with a frown.

"Surely you're taking over as Headmistress," Molly said. "You are deputy."

"Maybe," McGonagall mused with a thoughtful nod. "I did receive an owl this morning, inviting me to a meeting at the Ministry to discuss staffing at Hogwarts. Maybe the subject of Head will be raised then."

"I also received an owl asking me to go to the Ministry," Filius Flitwick, piped up.

"And me," Pomona Sprout said. "And I know Poppy got one, as did Irma."

"I'm guessing they went out to all the staff," McGonagall said. "I suppose next week we'll find out just who is taking over from Albus."

"Hopefully it will be you," Remus said.

"I wouldn't count on it," Kingsley said with a slight snort. "We all know Nott is in Voldemort's pocket, so I would say there's a good chance Snape will get the job."

"And what will you do if that happens?" Molly asked McGonagall and the other Professors.

"I won't leave," McGonagall said firmly. "I will not abandon the students of Hogwarts. Even if Severus does get the job, I won't quit. If they want rid of me, they'll have to sack me."

Flitwick and Sprout both mirrored McGonagall's stance, much to Molly and Arthur's relief. At least if the likes of McGonagall were still at school they'd feel comfortable with sending Ron and Ginny back to Hogwarts, even if Snape did turn out to be in charge. Although with a bit of luck, McGonagall would take over as Headmistress, and she could make sure the likes of the Weasleys weren't persecuted for not supporting Voldemort. She could also keep them safe from Hermione and Harry, as they were also a cause for concern in the Weasleys eyes. Although with a bit of luck, now the truth was out, the pair would transfer to Slytherin with the other snakes, and Ron and Ginny wouldn't have to deal with the pair.


	3. Chapter 3

As Beth predicted, she and Narcissa were able to put together a fancy party in just a few days. Since Voldemort was reluctant to let everyone know where he lived, it was decided that the party would be held at Malfoy Manor. Occasionally the two witches got Hermione, Harry and Draco to help out, but on a whole they organised the entire thing themselves.

On the evening in question, Hermione was busy getting ready in her room, when she noticed Harry hovering in the doorway. Since she was already dressed in her figure hugging emerald green and black dress, her door was open slightly. When Hermione turned round, she found Harry was dressed in a pair of smart black trousers and a crisp dark blue shirt.

"You look nice, Harry," Hermione remarked with a smile.

"So do you," Harry replied, returning the compliment. "In fact, you look amazing. Draco won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

"That's the idea," Hermione said with a sly smile. "In fact, if I'm lucky, I get more than his eyes all over me."

"Too much information," Harry grimaced. "Seriously, I don't want to hear about your sex life with Draco."

"We don't have a sex life, yet," Hermione pointed out. "All we've done is a bit of light petting."

"Hermione, I don't want to know," Harry insisted.

"Sorry," Hermione replied with a light chuckle. "So what's wrong? You seem tense."

"You think," Harry muttered as he sat down on Hermione's bed.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked as she joined Harry on the edge of the bed.

"I'm just worried about this party," Harry confessed.

"I thought you were looking forward to it. Daphne will be there."

"Yeah, but what about everyone else? They've hated us for years, Hermione. We can't just walk in there and expect to make instant friends with these people."

"No-one expects us to just instantly make friends with them," Hermione pointed out. "And you don't need to worry about people hating us. Take it from someone whose already met Draco's friends, they'll be the ones worrying. They're the ones who have spent the last five years making fun of us."

"But I don't want them to like me just because of who my family is," Harry argued. "I want them to like me, because of me."

"They will like you for you," Hermione replied. "Why wouldn't they like you? You're a great guy, Harry. And you know Daphne likes you for yourself. At least with her, you know she's not putting on an act. Although from the meeting I had with them, I would say the only one you had to really worry about trusting was Pansy. The others all seemed like genuine people, whereas Pansy is just a fake bitch, and it was clear she didn't like me."

"Of course she doesn't like you, you've taken Draco off the market," Harry snorted. "She might have been sniffing around Theo last year, but it's obvious that Draco is the better catch."

"You better watch out then," Hermione cautioned. "Because if Draco is a catch, then so are you. You've got status, which is what Pansy looks for in a wizard. Plus you're pretty hot in your own way."

"You think I'm hot?" Harry teased. "Naughty Aunt Hermione, what would Draco say?"

"Don't be so annoying, Harry," Hermione tutted. "You know I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that in your own way, you're a rather attractive wizard. Then again, you do have good genes. Severus is quite attractive in his own way, and I've seen pictures of Lily and she was lovely."

"Yeah, she was," Harry said with a wistful smile. He would have loved to have really met his mother, but unfortunately all he had was pictures.

"Do you wish she was here?" Hermione asked.

"All the time," Harry admitted. "But I know she's never coming back. And at least I'm not alone. I've got you, and Dad, and Beth and Grandpa. And now there's Rosmerta, I think she's going to be a good step-mum."

"Are you looking forward to moving in with her?" Hermione questioned. Even though they'd only been back from Hogwarts for a week or so, Severus and Rosmerta had already spoke about finding a house together over the holidays.

"I don't suppose it will make much difference to me really," Harry replied with a thoughtful smile. "I spent most of my year at Hogwarts, and I still plan on spending time here. I guess it just means the time I spend with Dad, will include Rosmerta and won't be in his tiny little cottage. I actually think it could be quite fun, for the three of us to create our own little family."

"I suppose it will be nice for you to make the most of your time as a threesome before you become a foursome," Hermione remarked as she got to her feet and headed back over to her dressing table.

"Foursome?" Harry frowned at his aunt, not understanding what she was getting at.

"Come on Harry, a baby will inevitably be a part of their future. First they're moving in together, then I bet Severus proposes, and then a baby comes next. I bet in a few years' time, you'll have a little brother or sister."

"Brill," Harry said with a grin as he got to his feet. "I've always wanted to be a big brother."

Hermione chuckled at Harry as she grinned at him through the mirror. "You seem more relaxed now. Are you ready to face your public?"

"I am," Harry said with a determined nod. "I think we're leaving soon, so you better hurry up."

"I'm almost done," Hermione replied as she spritzed herself with her favourite perfume.

Harry hung around until Hermione was ready, and then together they headed down to the front room. Voldemort and Beth were already dressed and ready to go, as were Severus and Rosmerta. Once the entire family was gathered, Voldemort opened up the floo network and they headed to Malfoy Manor, where Lucius, Narcissa and Draco were all waiting for them.

"I want you two to stay with me for a while," Voldemort ordered Hermione and Harry as they arrived at the manor. "There's some people I want to introduce you to."

Harry and Hermione exchanged an eye roll, and promising Draco they'd catch up with him later, they stuck to Voldemort's side as he and Beth entered the party. Voldemort quickly took a sweeping appraisal of who had already arrived, before he selected who to start socialising with first. Spotting the Minister of Magic, Bernard Nott and his wife, Elizabeth, Voldemort headed in their direction.

"Bernard, I don't think I've properly introduced you to my family," Voldemort said. "Of course you met Hermione the other day, but let me introduce my grandson, Harry."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Bernard said, shaking hands with both Harry and Hermione. "My son, Theodore, speaks so highly of you both."

"He does?" Harry questioned in surprise.

"Well, since he learnt who you both were," Bernard hastily corrected, looking slightly flustered. "He tells me you're both very clever, and Harry, he says you're an excellent quidditch player."

"I try my best," Harry replied with a smile.

After speaking to the Notts, Voldemort swept Harry and Hermione around the room, making the introductions to several more of his Death Eaters and their families. He made sure to stop at every couple who had children their age, as well as some of his prominent followers. Even the people who'd they'd met before were given proper introductions.

"I think we can let the pair of you explore on your own now," Beth said as the family walked away from the Greengrasses, Ezra and Petra.

"I think I saw Draco and his friends in the back ballroom," Voldemort said. "I'm sure Draco can make the proper introductions."

Leaving Voldemort and Beth to mingle with the other adults, Hermione and Harry made their way to the back ballroom. Along the way people kept stopping them to say hello and make it clear how much they supported The Dark Lord.

"Wow, what a bunch of suck-ups," Harry whispered to Hermione as they excused themselves from the clutches of two low ranking Death Eaters, eager to impress Voldemort's family.

"And we're about to meet at least one more," Hermione replied. "I bet you ten galleons, Pansy hits on you before the end of the night."

"You're on," Harry said. "But I'm telling you, once she realises I'm into Daphne, she won't try anything."

"You don't know Pansy Parkinson," Hermione chuckled.

Making their way into the back ballroom, they found Draco holding court with his friends. Although, it wasn't just the group from their year of school. There were several older Slytherins, and a few younger ones, including Daphne's little sister, Astoria.

"Hey, I thought you were never going to get away," Draco said, grinning at his girlfriend and best friend as they entered the room.

"We had to do our duty as a good little daughter and grandson," Harry replied with a cheeky grin. "You know how well behaved we are, Draco."

"Yeah right," Draco snorted. "There's no-one better to get into trouble with, than you two."

"Now, now Draco, you'll be giving your friends the wrong idea about Harry," Hermione chuckled.

"Don't worry, I've told them all about Harry," Draco answered, grinning at his best friend. "They know what to expect."

"And what is that?" Harry asked, glancing around at Draco's friends and smiling when his eyes met Daphne's.

"They know you're a good guy, and don't hold the past against them," Draco supplied. "I've made it clear, anything that was said or done in the past is history."

"That's right," Harry agreed with a nod. "I want to start fresh from today."

"In that case, let me introduce you around," Draco said, taking charge of the situation.

One by one, Draco introduced Harry to his friends. Luckily, they'd all had a few days to digest the news that Harry was Severus's son and Voldemort's grandson, so they didn't react too awkwardly. Of course some people were more natural than others, and a few people were clearly in awe of Harry. There was also a couple who were clearly wary of him, including Astoria. However, the more interesting reactions came from Pansy and Daphne.

The second Draco introduced Harry to Pansy, the Slytherin girl grasped onto his hand and gave him her most dazzling smile. She then proceeded to spend almost ten minutes openly flirting with Harry, including practically offering herself on a plate to him, before Harry could detach himself from her. Luckily, directly after Pansy, Draco made the official introduction to Daphne, and the whole group could see the sparks as they shook hands and greeted one another like long lost friends.

"Well, aren't you the secretive one?" Daphne teased. "I'm guessing this was what last year was about."

"It was," Harry confirmed. "I really wanted to tell you who I was, but I couldn't. I guess I just wanted to see if you liked me before you knew the truth. I'm not interested in a girl who's only after me because of who my grandfather happens to be."

"Ooh, that's you told, Pans," Blaise laughed as Pansy visibly bristled at Harry's remark. "I don't think you're going to be getting anywhere with Potter."

"That's Snape," Harry corrected as Pansy gave Blaise a cold stare and stalked off.

"What?" Theo frowned.

"My name, it's not Potter, it's Snape," Harry clarified. "I've had it officially changed. I am now, Harry Snape."

"Cool," Blaise said with a grin. "Although it will take some getting used to."

"I'm sure you'll all manage," Harry replied with a laugh.

"Is it weird for you, now the truth is out?" Theo asked.

"It's brilliant," Harry replied. "This secret has been crippling us for years. It's great that everything is out in the open."

"I have a question," Marcus Flint, one of the older Slytherins said. "How did your father bag a fox like Rosmerta? I know dozens of guys who've tried hitting on her, but she rebuffed them all."

"I'm guessing she wanted a man, not a boy," Hermione answered, causing a few of the Slytherins to chuckle.

"And what about you?" Marcus asked, giving Hermione a not so subtle once over. "Do you want a man?"

"She's got one," Draco interrupted, giving Marcus a steely glare as he moved to Hermione's side and wrapped his arm around her. "Me."

"Let me know if you ever want a real man, Granger," Marcus continued, ignoring Draco. "I'd be ready and willing whenever you needed me."

"Thank you, but Draco is all the man I need," Hermione replied, putting a soothing hand on Draco's arm as she sensed his temper growing. "Something tells me you won't measure up, Flint."

"Try me and see," Marcus challenged.

"I don't think so," Hermione said with a light laugh. "After Draco, any other man would just be a let-down."

Marcus was smart enough to finally get the hint and he beat a hasty retreat, before Hermione could make it any clearer that she wasn't interested. Marcus's friends headed off with him, leading to the rest of the group splintering off. Hermione and Harry remained with Draco and a few of his friends for a while, before Harry headed off to grab some drinks with Daphne. With Harry otherwise engaged, Draco took the opportunity to steal Hermione away from his friends and into the gardens, which were lit up with magical fireflies.

"You look amazing," He said as the pair stopped behind a tree, out of sight of the manor.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Hermione returned. Draco was looking especially handsome in a pair of black trousers and a silk forest green shirt.

"You look almost good enough to eat," Draco whispered as he pressed Hermione against the tree.

"Why don't you have a taste then," Hermione suggested in a low voice as she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck.

"You're such a tease, Hermione," Draco moaned as he brushed a soft kiss across his girlfriend's lips.

"Who's teasing?" Hermione whispered in Draco's ear. "I thought you could have a taste tonight, and get the whole thing tomorrow. I've got the place to myself tomorrow. Harry's going house hunting with Severus and Rosmerta, and my parents are both busy."

"Are you serious?" Draco asked, his grey eyes glistening with arousal.

"I am," Hermione replied softly. "I want you, Draco. It's time."

Draco looked at Hermione for a few minutes, before his face broke out into a huge grin and he swooped down to give her a proper kiss. Outside, up against a tree in the gardens of Malfoy Manor, the couple gave themselves a small taste of what was to come. However, they restrained themselves for going too far, and when they returned to the party, it was with wide smiles and slightly flushed complexions as they looked forward to the following day, when they would finally take the next step in their relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

As Hermione promised, she and Draco had the house to themselves the day following the big party. When Draco first arrived at the house, the pair spent the morning just hanging out, before they moved their activities to the bedroom, where they spent most of the afternoon taking their relationship to the next level.

Afterwards, Hermione lay snuggled up at Draco's side, thinking about what they'd just done. The experience had been even more special than Hermione had expected. She'd always imagined her first time with Draco would be special, but she hadn't expected to feel such a strong connection with the blond wizard who'd been her best friend for years. Maybe it was because it was his first time as well, so she knew everything they experienced they were experiencing together.

"You're quiet," Draco said, running his fingers through Hermione's hair.

Hermione looked up at the blond and gave him a reassuring smile as she could hear the worry in his voice. "I'm just thinking."

"About what we've just done?" Draco asked with a slight frown. "You did enjoy it, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Hermione replied, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at Draco's question. "I enjoyed every second."

"Even when we started laughing and couldn't do anything for almost five minutes?" Draco checked with a cheeky grin.

"Even that bit," Hermione replied, smiling at the memory.

They hadn't even been fully undressed when they'd looked at each other, and for some inexplicable reason they'd both burst out laughing. Eventually they'd calmed down, and carried on with what they were doing. But Hermione was hoping it was just a signal of the relaxed and loving relationship she and Draco had. She would rather be with someone she could laugh with, then be with someone who was serious during sex.

"So what exactly are you thinking about?" Draco asked again.

"I'm just thinking that things are going to change now," Hermione said, her fingernails absent-mindedly tracing patterns on Draco's bare chest.

"Between us?" Draco frowned.

"Yeah," Hermione replied with a nod. "But in a good way," She added, spotted Draco's confusion. "Do you not think this will change things between us?"

"I guess so," Draco admitted. "But I suppose it's only natural that things are getting more serious now we're growing up."

"And we have just done a very grown up thing," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"Very," Draco agreed as the hand not teasing Hermione's hair slid down her still naked body.

"I don't think we've got time for more," Hermione said reluctantly, even as she leant forward and pressed her lips against Draco's.

"I guess not," Draco said with a sigh as they slowly parted their lips. "We don't want to be caught."

"Definitely not," Hermione laughed. "I think we're lucky as it as that Mum hasn't remembered about her promise to give us the talk. Or at least, she's forgotten to give it to me."

"And she hasn't mentioned it to Lucius," Draco said. "If Beth had talked to Father, he would have sat me down and made the talk as embarrassing as possible, just like the last time he attempted to give me the talk and ended up just talking about him and Mother."

"Well, since Mum's forgotten, I don't think we should push our luck," Hermione said.

"No, we don't," Draco said slowly as he suddenly remembered who Hermione's father was, and the subtle threats he'd issued when the pair first started dating.

If he was worried about Beth catching them, he was even more concerned about Voldemort finding them in bed together. Draco had known Voldemort all his life, and he wasn't at all scared of The Dark Lord, but he hadn't been sleeping with his daughter before. Now, Draco was very aware that Voldemort was a dark wizard, and he didn't want him angry at him. Not to mention the rest of the family weren't exactly opposed to dark magic.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as she spotted the horrified look that had suddenly crept over her boyfriend's face.

"The Dark Lord is your father," Draco whispered.

"I know," Hermione said, giving her boyfriend a strange look. "Why are you so fixated on my father all of a sudden? You've known him forever."

"Yes, but now I'm sleeping with his daughter," Draco pointed out.

Hermione laughed as she realised what her boyfriend's problem was. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," She vowed, giving Draco a quick kiss. "But right now, I really think we need to get dressed."

"It's a shame, I like you naked," Draco teased as Hermione sat up, taking the covers with her.

Hermione looked back over her shoulder and gave Draco a smile as she swung her legs off the bed. "You'll just have to wait until next time."

"So there will be a next time?" Draco checked as he also sat up.

"Most definitely," Hermione said with a firm nod. She'd just spent a magical afternoon with her boyfriend, and she planned on many more in the future.

Once they'd cleaned themselves up in Hermione's bathroom and re-dressed, the couple decided to go back downstairs to avoid temptation. However, that didn't stop them from snuggling up together on the sofa, and that was where they still were when Severus and Harry arrived home, each wearing identical grins.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked as her brother and nephew shrugged off their coats.

"Quite good," Severus said with a nod.

"What he means, is we've found the perfect place," Harry said. "It's not far from here, and it's perfect. It got a big garden, perfect for playing quidditch, plenty of rooms, and best of all the attic is massive, with huge windows, and it even has a private bathroom. Rosmerta said we can transform it into a place for me. It'll be like having my own personal flat."

"Cool," Hermione replied with a smile. "Did you make an offer?"

"We've expressed our interest," Severus explained. "I'm having dinner with Rosmerta tonight and we'll talk about our options. If we decide to go for it, we can have an offer in by the end of the week."

"That's excellent news," Hermione said. "Although I will miss you both."

"You don't get rid of us that easily," Severus chuckled. "Even if we get the house, we'll still be around. We're family, and we stick together."

"You were right," Harry whispered to Hermione as Severus left the room to hang the coats up

"About what?" Hermione whispered back.

"The baby," Harry replied. "Rosmerta was gushing about how brilliant one of the rooms would be for a nursery."

"Rosmerta's pregnant?" Draco asked in a loud voice.

"Excuse me?" Severus questioned from the doorway, and the three teenagers turned to find him looking at them with wide eyes. "Who told you that?"

"Bloody hell, is it true?" Harry gasped. "Is she pregnant?"

"No, she's not," Severus replied. "But who told you she was?"

"No-one," Hermione answered. "Draco just got the wrong end of the stick. When Harry and I were talking yesterday, I said that you and Rosmerta would likely be starting a family of your own one day. Harry was just telling me that I was right, and Rosmerta was already planning the nursery."

"It is something we've been discussing lately," Severus admitted. "But I can guarantee that there'll be no children just yet. Maybe in a year or two."

Once Severus had set the record straight about future children, he headed off to get ready for his meeting at the Ministry in a few days' time, leaving an excited Harry to tell Hermione and Draco all about the house they'd found.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Minerva McGonagall strode through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic, heading to the meeting she'd been called to in regards to Hogwarts. The Minister of Magic had set up the meeting, and he was using one of the large conference rooms on the top floor of the Ministry. A secretary in the Minister's department had greeted McGonagall as she alighted from the lifts, and had told her exactly where to go. When she reached the room in question, McGonagall took a deep breath before she pushed open the doors and entered the room.

"Minerva, how nice to see you?" Bernard Nott greeted her as she entered the room.

"Minister," McGonagall replied shortly, her eyes darting around the room to see who was present.

As it turned out, she was almost the last to arrive. The majority of the staff were already seated at the table. Although McGonagall did note that Severus was sitting quite by himself in the chair right next to the one the Minister himself had risen from. Either, it was because he had the job of headmaster, or it was because the other staff didn't want to sit next to him. As McGonagall took her seat, she gave Severus a brief nod which he returned.

Five minutes later, the last two members of staff had arrived. Once Horace Slughorn and Sybill Trelawney had taken their places, Bernard got to his feet and thanked everyone for coming to the meeting.

"I see no point in beating around the bush," Bernard announced. "I have appointed Severus Snape as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. From this moment on, he is responsible for the staff situation."

"You mean we have to answer to him in order to keep our jobs?" Irma Pince, the school librarian, asked.

"No," Severus answered as he rose to his feet to address his colleagues. "I am going to give everyone here the exact same offer. You are all free to keep your jobs, in fact there's nothing I'd like more than to keep the same staff in place, bar a couple of vital changes."

"You're letting us keep out jobs, no questions asked?" Rolanda Hooch, the flying instructor, checked.

"They're there if you want them," Severus replied. "And Filius, Minerva and Pomona, I'd like you all to stay on as head of your respective houses."

"And my position as Deputy Headmistress?" McGonagall questioned. She'd arrived at the Ministry bracing herself for a fight, but it would seem she'd worked herself up over nothing.

"I'd very much like you to keep the role," Severus said. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for you, Minerva, and I think you're vital to the successful running of this school."

"It's just a shame you didn't have the same respect for Albus," Horace Slughorn said as he got to his feet. "I'm sorry to say, I won't be taking up your offer. I came out of retirement as a personal favour for Albus, and with him gone, I see no reason for me to stay on at the school."

"That is your prerogative," Severus said with a brief nod as Slughorn left the room. "I won't stop anyone from walking away if they feel they can't work for me. Is there anyone else that shares Horace's standpoint?"

Several whispered conversations were held at the far end of the table, but it soon became clear that no-one else was leaving. For one reason or another, they were all content to remain on the teaching staff at Hogwarts.

"That's it Severus," Bernard remarked. "It looks like you've got three new staff members to find before school re-starts."

"Three?" McGonagall questioned with a frown. "Horace leaves one vacancy, and I'm assuming Severus will no longer be teaching, so that makes two. Who's the third?"

"I'm replacing Cuthbert Binns as the History of Magic Professor," Severus announced. "It's ridiculous that we have a ghost teaching one of our subjects, and what makes it worse is that he's a terrible teacher. The students hate History of Magic, and I want to change that."

McGonagall nodded, actually agreeing with Severus in regards to Binns. It was a topic she'd raised constantly with Dumbledore, but the late headmaster had been adamant that he wasn't going to be replacing Binns.

"He won't like it," Flitwick warned. "Cuthbert is a creature of habit, he won't vacate his classroom. He didn't move when he died, so he won't move now."

"Then we move the class to another part of the castle," Severus replied with a shrug. "But either way, we're getting a new History of Magic Professor."

"And idea who?" Sprout asked.

"Actually, I can help there," Bernard offered. "And old friend of mine, Jackson Roth, happens to be an expert historian. I can get in touch with him and see if he's interested in the post. I guarantee, he can make history interesting."

"Thank you Bernard, that would be good," Severus replied with a nod. In actual fact, he knew Bernard had already spoken to his friend and he'd already accepted the offer. "And I also have people in mind for Potions and Dark Arts."

"Don't you mean, Defence against the Dark Arts?" McGonagall asked with a disapproving tut.

"We're dropping Defence from the name of the class," Severus explained. "Defence will still be a big part of the lesson, but the Ministry feels the students need to know more about the actual Dark Arts themselves. After all, how can you defend yourself from something you don't really know about?"

"I don't want anyone to worry, the students will not learn anything they could use to hurt other people, and every lesson will be age appropriate," Bernard explained. "And of course, the unforgivable curses will still not be taught at Hogwarts."

"So who do you have in mind to teach these Dark Arts?" McGonagall asked.

"Lucius Malfoy," Severus answered, causing several of the staff to gasp in shock. "Lucius has agreed to take the position for a couple of years. It give us time to get the structure for these new lessons in place, before we bring in someone willing to devote years to the job. As for Potions, Beth Granger will be taking that position."

"Granger?" McGonagall spat. "Your step-mother?"

"I can assure you that Beth is an expert at Potions making," Severus answered. "Like Lucius she's agreed to take the position for a couple of years. However, unlike Lucius, I do feel I can persuade her to carry on with the post. But for now, all she'll commit to is two years."

"Until her daughter has finished school," McGonagall said, pointing out the obvious.

"I won't deny it, Beth and Lucius are coming into the school in part because of Hermione and Harry," Severus confessed. "We're worried about the treatment they might receive now the truth is out, and we want to make sure they're safe."

"And what about the other students? Will they be safe from your son and sister?" McGonagall questioned.

"Hermione and Harry have no wish to hurt anyone," Severus said firmly. "Hate me and my father all you want, we really don't care. But Harry and Hermione are still children. Any victimisation of the pair of them, or any student for that matter, will be treated very seriously. I want to run a peaceful school, and that starts with having the backing of my staff. So if anyone has a problem with anything we've discussed here, I suggest you leave now."

Severus swept his gaze around at the staff, before focusing on McGonagall, as he thought she was the one most likely to walk. However, she remained seated and promised him that he would have no problems from her, providing the rest of the school had no problems from him and his family.

"You have my word, Minerva," Severus promised. "We're not out to cause trouble. All we want is a peaceful life. If there's any trouble brewing, it's not us stirring the pot."


	5. Chapter 5

Despite having the information about Voldemort's Horcruxes, the Order took some time to gather their thoughts before they proceeded. As well as mapping out the information they had from Dumbledore, they also took some time to do some of their own research. As much as certain impatient people, like Sirius, wanted to just dive right in, he was persuaded to hold off. After all, the light were fairly confident they had the edge over Voldemort with the information Dumbledore had left them. They knew the dark had no idea they had the information, otherwise they would have left someone with the light, and that gave them the edge. Then there was the fact that even Sirius had to admit that going after Voldemort was useless until they were able to destroy his Horcruxes. While they might be able to wipe out some of the dark, Voldemort was indestructible for the moment.

As well as amassing information about the Horcruxes, the majority of the Order also had their normal lives to live. Kingsley and Tonks had still their job as Aurors, although they were now no longer assigned to catching dark wizards, instead they were on a task force aimed to enforce Nott's new muggle laws. McGonagall and the other staff of Hogwarts had to plan for their return to school. The Order now knew that Snape had been appointed Headmaster, and about the couple of other staff changes, and they all agreed that the rest of the staff needed to stay on Snape's good side so they could stay at Hogwarts and protect the students who didn't support the dark.

There were also big changes afoot with the Weasleys. Arthur and Percy were still adjusting to their new jobs at the Ministry. Percy now had a low level administrative job, while Arthur was stuck destroying muggle artifacts that had either been handed into the Ministry or taken from those in breach of the new laws. Bill and Charlie had also both decided to hang around, so they'd both started new jobs. Bill was able to just transfer his work to Britain, and he was still employed by Gringotts as a curse breaker, only his work was slightly less interesting than what he'd been used to in Egypt. As for Charlie, there wasn't a dragon reserve in Britain, but there was a magical creature's sanctuary for injured magical creatures, and Charlie had recently got a job working there.

However, the biggest news in the Weasley family came courtesy of the twins. Much to Ron and Ginny's surprise, the twins had managed to save up enough money to put a deposit down on a shop in Hogsmeade. Gringotts had given them a loan for the rest of the money, and the twins were now the proud owners of the newest joke shop in Hogsmeade. When Zonko's found out, they'd launched a protest against the shop, but the Ministry had intervened and stated there was no law about a potential rival business opening up nearby. After all, there were two pubs in Hogsmeade, and they both manged to turn over a profit.

Finally after several weeks of research, the Order decided to start looking into the information Dumbledore had left for them. Out of everything Dumbledore had given them, the group agreed that the location of the Riddle house was their most solid lead. They were still trying to track down the cave Dumbledore had mentioned, as well as a few other locations. However, they knew where to go to search the Riddle house and the Gaunt cottage. So a date was set, and everyone who was available to help with the search gathered at Grimmauld Place.

Sirius, Remus and Moody had taken charge of the plans for the day, and they had decided to split into two groups. Moody was going to take Kingsley, Bill and Charlie and search the Gaunt cottage, while Sirius and Remus were going with Tonks and Ron to search the Riddle house. Sirius was rather surprised when Molly gave Ron permission to join the search, but he understood that the redheaded boy needed to feel as though he was doing something productive to help the cause. Sirius knew that like him, Ron was feeling exceptionally betrayed by recent events, and also like him, he wanted his revenge.

"Do you know what we're doing, Ron?" Sirius checked with the youngest member of their group as they prepared to leave.

"Yeah." Ron nodded his head as he patted the bag he had slung over his shoulder. "We take a good look around and gather up anything that looks out of the ordinary. We've also got the potential list to look for."

"Don't get to distracted by the list," Sirius warned. "Dumbledore wasn't really sure on the list, they were just options. I think we're best off just looking for something out of place, or something that pulls at your attention."

"Don't worry, I'll be vigilant," Ron vowed.

"I know you will." Sirius gave Ron a quick smile and a pat on the shoulder as he headed across the room to check that Remus and the others were ready to go.

Five minutes later, everyone was ready for action. Sirius took hold of Ron's arm, and after a few last minute words from Moody, the group apparated to their destination. Sirius, Ron, Remus and Tonks landed outside a large, run down house and it's gardens, and just down the street Moody and the others arrived outside of the small Gaunt cottage.

"Wow, this place is larger than I thought," Ron confessed as Tonks checked the property for security wards.

"The Riddles were pretty much Lord and Lady of the manor in these parts," Remus supplied. In the last few weeks he'd been doing his homework on Voldemort, and he knew everything there was to know about both his wizarding and muggle ancestors.

"And their son was the spoilt brat, who thought he was better than anyone else," Sirius added. "Or at least he thought he was better than the Gaunts."

"So how did he end up getting a witch pregnant if he thought he was better than her family?" Ron asked. Even though he'd been included in things far more than he ever thought his mother would allow, there had been times he knew he hadn't been told everything.

"Magic," Remus answered, as he watched Tonks check the property and erect a few warning wards of their own. "Merope Gaunt slipped young Tom Riddle a love potion. The result caused quite a scandal, and they ran off together. The problem was, Merope convinced herself that Tom really loved her so she stopped giving him the potion. The second it wore off, he was disgusted with her and he went running back to his parents, claiming she'd bewitched him."

"And what happened to Merope?" Ron asked.

"She fell into a depression when Tom left her," Remus replied. "By that time she was pregnant with You-Know-Who, but she'd already given up. By the time she was ready to give birth, she was nothing but a bag of skin and bone. She survived long enough to give birth to her son in the muggle world and name him after his father. She then died, leaving You-Know-Who to be raised by muggles."

"Sad story," Ron muttered. To be honest, if the story had been about anyone else, he would have felt sorry for them, but he just didn't have it in him to feel anything but hatred for Voldemort and his entire family.

"Okay, it's safe to enter," Tonks called as she came back over to the trio. "I couldn't find any sign of wards surrounding the place, however there is faint residues of magic in the air."

"Is that good sign, or a bad one?" Sirius asked as she began the walk up the long drive to the front doors.

"I'm not sure," Tonks admitted with a shrug. "If there was something precious here, I would expect to find some sort of protective magic. Although, it could be more localised, and we might find something inside that is protected by magic."

"And what about the faint residues of magic in the air?" Remus asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means someone has used magic in the vicinity in the last few years," Tonks replied. "To know more, I'd need to run more checks and cast more spells of my own. But from previous experience, I would say the magic residue was no more than eighteen months old."

Armed with the knowledge that sometime in the last eighteen months, someone had been using magic nearby, the group ascended the front stairs and made their way into the house. Everything in the house was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the windows let in barely any light they were so dusty.

"Remus, Tonks, you two head down that way," Sirius said, pointing towards the back of the house. "Ron and I will search the front rooms. We'll then meet back up in here and head upstairs. By then the others might have finished at the cottage and might be here to help."

"Call if you need anything," Remus said, before he headed off into the darkness with Tonks at his side.

"Right Ron, let's get going," Sirius said as he walked over to the nearest door and pushed it open, revealing an ancient living room covered in a thick layer of dust. "Remember, be thorough. We don't want to miss something because we didn't search properly."

While Ron started searching through the sideboard that stood beside the door, Sirius marched over to the other side of the room to begin his search there. For a while, he was able to distract himself with the search, but before long his mind began to turn back to the topic that kept him up at night. Just what had happened the night James and Lily died?

As hard as it had been to discover, Sirius completely accepted that Harry wasn't James's son. Initially he wanted to cling to the hope that Harry was just being manipulated, but deep down he knew that wasn't what was happening. He knew Snape well enough to know that he would never claim Harry as his son, if he was indeed James's. So that just left the question, was Harry a result of a one off, ill-advised fling between Lily and Snape, or was there something deeper going on between them that everyone missed? Sirius wanted to believe it was just a fling, and that Lily really did love James, but his gut was telling him that Snape had been telling the truth when he said Lily was planning on running off with him and Harry. After all, there had been a time when Lily was devoted to Snape, so it wasn't too hard to imagine their old connection had been reignited when Snape had wormed his way into the Order.

Sirius was just left puzzling over what had happened the night they were killed. He was sure that Snape had told the truth about everything else, so there was a chance he was telling the truth about James killing Lily. The problem was, Sirius just couldn't see it. If James had discovered the truth, he would have been devastated, but Sirius couldn't imagine him killing Lily in cold blood. However, he could picture him lashing out and Lily accidently getting hurt. Maybe that was what happened, James found out the truth, lashed out and Lily ended up getting hurt. But that didn't explain where Dumbledore came into things, and why he lied about what had happened that evening.

Sirius had decided that Dumbledore had lied about the evening in question, because his version of events just didn't stack up now the truth about Harry's father had been revealed. Dumbledore had always claimed that he arrived too late to save James and Lily, but he arrived just in time to stop Voldemort killing Harry. But what if he'd arrived just in time to stop Voldemort from taking Harry to his father? And why did Dumbledore claim Voldemort had thrown the killing curse at Harry, when there was no way he would have thrown the killing curse at his grandson?

"Or would he?" Sirius whispered to himself as he froze mid search.

Due to their research, the Order all knew how much Voldemort detested his father, and from the notes Dumbledore made, his hatred of his father was one of the things that fuelled his hatred of muggles and muggleborns. So with Voldemort's hatred for all things muggle, how would he truly felt about having a grandson with a muggleborn for a mother? From what Sirius had seen at Hogwarts, Voldemort seemed to care about Harry, but that was now, and this was over ten years ago. Would Voldemort have risked trying to get rid of Harry when he was a baby, and was that was Dumbledore had witnessed and misinterpreted? Or had Dumbledore just found Voldemort with Harry and assumed the worst? Either way, now Dumbledore dead, Sirius doubted he would get the answers that he desired. He would just have to forget the past, and focus on the present.

"Sirius!" Remus's loud cry, suddenly jolted him back to the present.

"Come on Ron," Sirius cried as he dropped the small figurine he was holding into his bag and hurried over to the door. "They might have found something."

Sirius and Ron bolted back into the passageway, where they were greeted by a silver wolf patronus. Following the wolf, they arrived in small bare room, where they found Tonks and Remus standing over a pile of rubbish. It was only when they got closer, which Sirius saw there were bones mingled in the midst of what looked like clothing scraps. A few of the bones looked gnawed on, and even at a glance, Sirius could tell the entire skeleton wasn't present. By his estimate he would say nearly half the bones were missing.

"Is this a body?" Ron asked. As he spoke he nudged a pile of scraps with his foot and almost jumped out of his skin when a skull rolled towards him. "Holy shit," He cried. "That's a skull."

"Any idea who?" Sirius asked.

"Barty Crouch Junior," Tonks replied. "I cast a spell to identify the remains."

"I'm guessing this is payback for entering Harry into the Triwizard Tournament," Sirius remarked. "You know since we've found out the truth, I've always wondered about that. At the time we all thought it was You-Know-Who trying to kill Harry, but it looks like it was Crouch acting alone."

"But how did he get here?" Ron asked with a frown.

"We all suspected Lucius had a hand in his disappearance," Remus said. "I'm guessing instead of helping him escape, he delivered him to The Dark Lord and this was his punishment."

"What to be eaten by rats?" Ron frowned as he spotted a rat poke its head out of a hole in the far corner, before retreating when it saw it wasn't alone.

"I'm betting he was dead long before the rats got to him," Tonks said.

"So what now?" Sirius asked. "Do we call in the Ministry?"

"We'll wait and see what Alastor says when he gets here, but I don't really see the point," Tonks admitted. "We all know Nott won't do anything, so why make a fuss. It's not like he's got any family waiting for news of him. And if we call the Ministry, we tip the dark off that we were snooping around this place. How long do you then think it will be before You-Know-Who puts two and two together and starts worrying about his Horcruxes? We need to stay under the radar, and for that, I think we need to leave things well alone."

"Fine," Sirius replied with a nod. "But let's move on to check some other rooms. I don't think we're going to find anything here."

Nodding in agreement, the others followed Sirius back out of the room and their search continued. By the time they were ready to head upstairs, the second group from the cottage arrived. When they were told about the bones, they agreed with Tonks, that it was better to say nothing and leave things as they were. With that sorted, the top floors of the house were thoroughly searched and the group arrived back at Grimmauld Place with heaving bags of stuff. Now all they had to do was search through them and see if they'd found a potential Horcrux. With any luck their trip wouldn't have been in vain, and somewhere in among their haul would be an object that held one piece of Voldemort's soul. And one piece of soul in their possession, was one more step in their mission to destroy The Dark Lord forever.


	6. Chapter 6

Summer seem to pass in a blur for Harry, Hermione and Draco. It felt like no sooner had they left at the end of fifth year, then they were starting to think about heading back in sixth year. Of course, it helped that they'd been busy practically all holidays. After Voldemort's party, they'd spent some more time with Draco's friends, getting to know them. Harry in particular had spent some time with Daphne, and even though nothing had happened between them, their attraction was bubbling nicely. Harry and Severus had also moved into their new house with Rosmerta, although both still had rooms at home and Harry still spent nearly all his spare time at his grandfather's house. As for Draco and Hermione, when they weren't with Harry and his other friends, they were spending precious time together as a couple.

With such busy a busy summer, it did mean that the trio had been a bit neglectful of their parents. They knew Severus had been appointed Headmaster, but it wasn't until dinner at the manor a few weeks before the start of term that other staffing was even mentioned.

"Did you get rid of Trelawney?" Harry asked his father.

"Why would I get rid of Sybill?" Severus asked.

"Because she's on old fraud," Harry replied. "Plus, she keeps telling me I'm going to die in all sorts of nasty and gruesome ways."

"Seriously?" Rosmerta asked in concern. "She tells you that you're going to die."

"All the time," Harry confirmed with a nod. "The bloodier the better in her opinion."

"That's awful," Rosmerta tutted. "Who would tell a young boy that they were going to die a bloody death? The woman has to be stopped."

"I wish you'd mentioned this before, Harry," Severus sighed. "I've never really believed she had the sight, but I always thought she was harmless. I would have sacked her if I'd know about this before. But it will look as though I'm going back on my word, if I sack her now. I need to keep the staff onside, but I will talk to her and warn her off. If she does it again, you come and tell me and I'll deal with it."

"Will do," Harry promised.

"So what new Professors do we have to look forward to?" Hermione asked. "I know you need a new Defence Professor, and we did tell you how awful History of Magic is."

"We have a new History of Magic Professor," Severus told his sister. "An old friend of the Minister's will be taking the job."

"Let's hope he's more interesting than Theo's father," Draco muttered to his girlfriend and best friend.

"Draco," Narcissa scolded, overhearing her son. "That's no way to speak about the Minister, and a good friend of the family's."

"Sorry Mother, but you know it's true," Draco said. "Mr Nott is extremely dull, and what's worse is that he makes Theo boring as well."

"Draco has a point," Lucius said with a sly smirk. "Bernie really does need to loosen up a bit."

"Apparently this friend of his is very good at his job, and he makes learning about history fun," Severus said with a shrug. "All I can do is try him."

"And what about Defence? Have you sorted a new Professor yet?" Hermione pressed.

"Actually, it won't be Defence, it'll just be the Dark Arts," Severus explained.

"You're going to teach everyone the Dark Arts?" Hermione questioned, shooting a worried look at her father. "You're basically preparing people to fight against you if you do that."

"Have some faith, Hermione," Voldemort chuckled. "Just because the lesson is changing, doesn't mean we're equipping people to fight against us. We've thought very carefully about what we're going to teach people. Besides, we can also get a look at just what certain people are made of."

"You're expecting the new Professor to report back to you?" Hermione asked.

"I know he will," Voldemort replied with a smirk.

"So it's a he," Hermione said with a grin. "Do we get any more details?"

"Severus?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow at his son.

"I can say our new Dark Arts Professor is also taking over as head of Slytherin," Severus announced.

"Does that mean Slughorn has left as well?" Harry asked. "I would have thought he would have taken the position as he used to do it before."

"He's gone," Severus confirmed. "So we've also got a new Potions Mistress starting as well."

"Mistress?" Draco asked. "Our new Potions Professor is a witch."

"Women can make potions, Draco," Narcissa snapped, slightly annoyed at her son's obvious surprise.

"I know that," Draco replied with a roll of his eyes. After all, he would have to be stupid not to recognise that a witch could make Potions as well as a wizard as his mother was an expert Potions maker. "It's just that Potions is a very male dominated area."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Narcissa admitted with a sigh. "It's as though the magical world thinks you can only mix a potion if you have a penis."

"Mother," Draco gasped, almost choking on his roast potato.

"Just pointing out the sexism at large in our world," Narcissa replied with a sweet smile.

"There's no sexism at my school," Severus said. "I've hired the best person for the job, right Beth?"

"Indeed you have, Severus," Beth replied with a grin as her daughter and grandson both looked at her in total shock.

"You," Harry spluttered. "You're our new Professor?"

"I am," Beth answered. "And the pair of you better behave, I don't expect to give my daughter and grandson detention."

"When was this decided?" Hermione asked, still stunned by the revelation.

"Last year," Beth replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But we thought we'd surprise you."

"You did that," Hermione muttered.

"I think it's great," Draco said, amusement written all over his face. "Just think, now the pair of you both have parents at school. How brilliant for the two of you."

"I'm glad you think so son," Lucius piped up. "Because you'll also have a parent at school. Only not only will I be your Professor, I'll also be your head of house."

"No, you can't," Draco gasped in horror. "Please tell me this is a joke."

"Afraid not," Lucius replied with a smirk. "You're now looking at your new Dark Arts Professor and Head of Slytherin."

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered, as he dropped his head to the table.

"How brilliant for you Draco, having your father teaching at school," Harry mocked.

"Three of you, there's going to three of you," Draco grumbled as he looked back up. "How will we ever get away with anything?"

"Like what?" Beth asked, eying up her daughter's boyfriend and wondering what sort of trouble he was wanting to get into.

"Anything," Draco replied with a shrug. "Do you know how difficult it will be to sneak around in the middle of the night with three of you there?"

"Pfft," Lucius snorted. "If you can't sneak around and avoid three members of staff, you're not a very good Slytherin, Draco. I raised you better than that, son. Have some faith in your ability to outwit the staff."

"Lucius, dear, I don't think you're supposed to be encouraging them," Narcissa said as the adults all chuckled at the three teenagers and their still shocked faces.

"Perhaps not," Lucius conceded. "But I can still remember what it was like to be young, and sneaking around Hogwarts in the dead of night. Do you know, Narcissa and I were once almost caught getting up to no good by Dumbledore in the Great Hall? We had to hide behind one of the curtains until he went away again."

"I don't remember that," Narcissa said with a frown.

"Of course you do, it was the day after we'd been to Hogsmeade in the storm and nearly got stuck down in the village," Lucius replied. "Although, I still say we should have hung around in the village for longer until we had no choice but to stay in one of the pubs."

"That wasn't me," Narcissa said with a slight snarl. "That was Natasha Hendrie, the Ravenclaw witch you were dating before me."

"Are you sure?" Lucius asked his wife. "I could have sworn it was you."

"It wasn't," Narcissa repeated in a frosty voice.

"Now he's in for it," Draco whispered to Hermione and Harry as Lucius tried to pacify his wife.

"He'll charm Narcissa before the end of the night," Harry predicted.

Sure enough by the end of the meal, Lucius had managed to make amends to his wife for his slip up. In fact by the end of the meal, Lucius had worked his magic so well that everyone made an early exit as it was clear just how the Malfoys were planning on spending the rest of the evening. Unfortunately for Draco, he had to go to bed on his own as Hermione had to leave with her parents. However, they'd be back at school soon and Draco had plans for them to spend the entire night together, sooner rather than later.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

A week before they were due to go back to Hogwarts, the trio headed to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. They'd made arrangements to meet up with some of the Slytherins while they were there, so they did their shopping with Theo, Blaise and Daphne. Predictably, Harry and Daphne spent their entire trip chatting and laughing together, and even Blaise and Theo commented on their closeness.

"So what do we think?" Blaise asked Draco and Theo in the bookshop. "Christmas?"

"That's a bit fast," Theo said with a slight frown. "I'm going for the end of year."

"A year?" Draco snorted. "Look at them, they're all over each other, no way is it going to take them a year to get together."

"Okay then genius, what's your best guess?" Theo said.

"First Hogsmeade trip," Draco replied with confidence.

"That'll barely be a month into the school term," Blaise pointed out. "That's pretty fast, considering they've only started to get to know each other over the summer."

"Yeah, but the attraction's been there for ages," Draco argued. "Harry's fancied Daphne since third or fourth year, and she was drooling over him at the Yule Ball. I'm telling you, it won't take them that long to get together properly."

"So be it, I still say it's too fast," Blaise replied with a shrug.

"We'll see," Draco remarked with a sly smile. He was confident Harry would have things sorted with Daphne by the first Hogsmeade weekend, but if not, he wasn't opposed to giving love a helping hand.

"Just what are you three up to?" Hermione asked as she appeared behind the Slytherins trio.

"Just gossiping about your nephew's love life," Blaise answered with a cheeky grin. "Wow, now that is weird to say. I can't believe Harry is your nephew."

"You get used to it," Harry said as he and Daphne arrived in time to hear Blaise's last remark. "Isn't that right, Aunt Hermione?"

"Don't call me that," Hermione snarled as everyone else laughed.

"She's sensitive about her age," Harry joked as the group headed back outdoors.

"I'll give you sensitive," Hermione promised as he raised her hand to playfully hit Harry on the arm. Unfortunately, just as she swung, Harry ducked away and she ended up batting her boyfriend on the backside.

"Cheeky," Blaise laughed as Draco turned to look at Hermione with wide eyes, not knowing that she'd hit him instead of Harry.

"Sorry," Hermione said with a smile as she gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek. "I meant to get Harry."

"You meant to feel Harry's backside?" Draco frowned, as the group laughed even harder.

"No, I meant to hit him and he moved," Hermione clarified. "I never meant to whack your bum."

"And here was me thinking you were being affectionate," Draco joked as he slung his arm around Hermione.

"If I was being affectionate, I wouldn't slap your bum," Hermione retorted.

"And just what would you do?" Draco asked in a challenging tone.

Coming to a standstill, Hermione leant up and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "Something like this maybe," She replied, before connecting their lips in a searing kiss.

Blaise and Theo immediately began to whistle and clap, and before the group knew what had happened, they found themselves with an audience. In amongst the audience was a photographer for the Daily Prophet, and he got himself a couple of juicy shots of the Dark Lord's daughter snogging the Malfoy boy. Even though word had broken about Voldemort's family, pictures of them were still pretty scare, so the picture of Hermione kissing Draco was gold dust. Not only did the photographer have a perfect candid picture of the young witch, but he also had a story to go with it. After all, the wizarding world might just be interested to know that Voldemort's daughter was having a relationship with the heir to one of the biggest fortunes in the wizarding world. Together, they could be nigh-on unstoppable, and could potentially be an even bigger threat to the wizarding world than The Dark Lord himself.


	7. Chapter 7

As it always was on the first of September, Platform Nine and Three Quarters was packed with students and their parents. Hermione hadn't been sure if as many people would return to Hogwarts given what had happened at the end of the previous year, but the place seemed as packed as normal. The muggle entrance was also getting it's usual amount of use, so clearly not too many muggleborns had chosen to leave the wizarding world behind.

"Things seem exactly the same," Harry remarked to Hermione as they made their way through the crowds of people, with Voldemort at their side since Beth was up at Hogwarts preparing for the start of term.

"Not everything," Hermione replied, gesturing to where Molly and Arthur stood at the other end of the platform with Ron and Ginny.

The four redheads were watching Harry and Hermione, and despite how far away they were, it was obvious they were all looking at the pair in disgust. Although both Harry and Hermione were amused to find there was also a bit of fear in their expressions. Clearly they hadn't expected to see Voldemort at the platform. Although, judging from the wary looks most people were throwing his way, it was a shock all round to see The Dark Lord doing something as domestic as dropping his daughter and grandson off to catch the Hogwarts Express.

"Who cares about Weasleys?" Harry snorted as his attention turned to finding Draco and some of the other Slytherins.

"Are you two ready?" Voldemort asked, ignoring the curious stares he was receiving.

"I can't see anyone," Harry moaned. "Where are they all?"

"Who are you looking for, Harry?" A feminine voice asked from behind him, and when Harry turned around he found Daphne standing with her sister, Astoria, and their parents behind them.

"Daphne," Harry cried happily, his face breaking into a wide smile at the sight of the girl he fancied.

"Hi, Daphne," Hermione greeted her friend as her father greeted the Greengrasses.

"Hi, where is everyone?" Daphne replied.

"They have to be here somewhere," Hermione said. "Why don't we get on the train and find them."

"Good idea," Daphne said.

Daphne and Astoria said goodbye to their parents, while Hermione and Harry said goodbye to Voldemort. The foursome then hopped onto the train, with Astoria heading off to find her own friends right away. Halfway down the train they found Blaise and Theo settled in one of the compartment while Greg and Vince were stashing their trunks overhead.

"Hey, we thought you lot weren't coming," Harry remarked. "We didn't see you on the platform."

"I was here early, Father had an important meeting at the Ministry he had to get to and Mother wasn't feeling very well," Theo explained. "I've been sitting on the train for over half an hour."

"Luckily he had me to keep him company," Blaise added with a grin. "My Mother was busy packing to go away on holiday, and her port-key was due to leave at half ten, so she dropped me off on the way."

"Has anyone seen Draco?" Hermione asked with a frown as she peered out of the window to look for her boyfriend.

"Did I hear someone mention my name?" Draco's voice called from one of the train doors.

Spinning round, Hermione smiled widely as her boyfriend approached her. "There you are. Where have you been?"

"Did you miss me?" Draco asked as he pulled Hermione into his arms.

"I might have done," Hermione replied, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck and leaning in for a kiss.

"Sick," A disgusted voice sneered from behind Draco just as the pair's lips touched.

At the exclamation, Hermione's attention flicked over Draco's shoulder and her face distorted into an annoyed frown when she spotted Ron and Ginny entering the train. Even though she was expecting to run into Ron and Ginny sooner rather than later, she hadn't thought either of them would have had the guts to be the ones to approach her or Harry. Especially considering last time they'd seen the pair, they'd both been left crying in the Great Hall.

"Do you have something to say, Weasley?" Hermione asked as Draco swivelled his head to take in the two redheads who had interrupted them. At the same time, Harry had poked his head out of the compartment when he'd heard Hermione mention Ron's name.

"It's bad enough I have to read about you two in my morning paper, complete with hideous pictures, but now I have to witness it first hand," Ron spat. He was referring to the splashy pictures and story that had appeared in the Daily Prophet several days ago, and had been rehashed several times since then.

"No-one's forcing you to watch, Weasley," Draco replied. "If you don't like seeing me with my girlfriend, then go and bugger off."

Turning back to Hermione, Draco gave her a wicked grin before he connected their lips in a searing kiss. Melting into the kiss, Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco as she eagerly returned his affection. Idly she was aware of Ron's mutterings as he and Ginny set off in the opposite direction while her and Draco were still embracing. By the time they parted for air, the Weasleys were long gone and Harry had pulled his head back into the compartment.

"So where were you this morning?" Hermione asked as the train began to move and their friends re-emerged from their compartment to wave to their parents.

"Father was having second thoughts about leaving Mother behind," Draco explained with a grimace. "She had to reassure him that they would still have plenty of time for each other."

"And how did that result in you being late to the platform?" Hermione asked warily, wondering just what Draco's parents had been up to.

"The breakfast table was otherwise occupied when I arrived for breakfast," Draco replied. "Although, funnily enough by the time it was free, I wasn't very hungry."

"I bet you weren't," Hermione laughed as she gave her father one final wave before the platform disappeared from sight.

Turning back to the compartment, Hermione, Harry and the Slytherins trooped inside and settled down. Once everyone was settled, Hermione opened Crookshanks's basket and let her cat out. When Crookshanks first emerged, he stood watching the Slytherins in curiosity. Ever so slowly, he began to poke around at the strangers. Ten minutes later, he'd sniffed everyone and rubbed himself up against them all, giving them his seal of approval. He then squeezed himself in between Harry and Daphne, and curled up and went to sleep.

"That is one odd cat, Hermione," Theo remarked with a chuckle.

"He was just deciding if he liked you or not," Hermione replied.

"And what did he decide?" Blaise asked.

"You would know if he didn't like you," Harry said with a laugh. "Crookshanks hates Ron, and he's always hissing when he's around. No-one got hissed at, so I would say he likes you all."

"Well we are a pretty spectacular bunch," Blaise boasted with a grin.

With amused chuckles all round, the group sat back to enjoy the ride up to Hogwarts. For a while they chatted happily, but then the door opened and a frowning Pansy stood in the doorway.

"Here you all are," She announced moodily. "I've been looking for you since we left London."

"You can't have looked very far, we've been here all this time," Theo said with a snort.

"I'm in a compartment down the end, does anyone want to join me?" Pansy asked, looking hopefully between Draco, Theo and Harry.

"Sorry, we're nicely settled here," Draco answered from where he was sitting with his arm wrapped around Hermione.

"You could always join us though," Harry offered, earning him a glare from his aunt. Even though he knew Hermione and Pansy hadn't taken to one another, and Pansy had been a bit over the top at the party at the manor, he felt slightly sorry for the Slytherin girl and he didn't want her to get pushed out just because Hermione could now openly be together with Draco.

"Thank you, Harry," Pansy said, giving him a dazzling smile as she entered the compartment.

Pansy made a beeline for the seat beside Harry, and when she spotted Crookshanks in the seat, she pushed the ginger cat down and sat where he'd been lying. Crookshanks immediately hissed and swiped a clawed paw at Pansy, as Hermione swooped down and picked her precious feline up.

"Don't you dare touch my cat again, Parkinson," Hermione warned as she settled Crookshanks on the seat beside her and Draco.

"I didn't realise the fleabag was yours," Pansy sniffed. "Most self respecting witches have owls for pets."

"Most witches with a brain know not to piss off the daughter of The Dark Lord," Hermione retorted darkly. "You need to remember who you're dealing with, Pansy. I'm not someone you want to make an enemy of."

Giving Pansy one final glare, Hermione got to her feet and excused herself to use the bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, she almost stepped on a toad that was hopping about the corridor.

"Trevor," She cried, picking up the amphibian. "Let's go and find Neville, he'll be worried about you."

Hermione found Neville in a compartment with Dean and Seamus. The second she entered the compartment, it was obvious they were looking for Trevor. Neville was kneeling on the floor, peering under the seats, while Dean and Seamus were peering into bags and down the sides of the chairs.

"Are you looking for this?" Hermione asked.

"Trevor," Neville called happily as he looked up and found his pet toad safely in Hermione's hands. "Thank you, Hermione," He said as he plucked Trevor from Hermione's hold.

"I found him hopping down the corridor," Hermione replied as Neville placed Trevor back in his tank and shut the lid.

"He keeps escaping," Neville confided with a sigh. "The lid of his tank is loose. Gran said she would fix it over the summer, but she forgot."

"Do you want me to help fix it?" Hermione questioned. "We wouldn't want you to lose Trevor."

"You would do that for me?" Neville asked warily.

"Why wouldn't I? We're friends, aren't we?" Hermione queried.

"Yes, but I wasn't sure if you would still want to be friends after last year. You know when Gran and I stood with the Order. Not that I wanted to, and Gran says we should be neutral now," Neville jabbered.

"I still want to be friends, Neville," Hermione reassured the obviously nervous wizard. "In fact, I'm hoping we can all still be friends," She added, looking over at Dean and Seamus who had been watching things curiously.

"You won't get any problems from me, Hermione," Seamus said. "It might have been different if the Ministry wanted to obliviate my Dad, but since he and Mum are married and we're a family, he's allowed to keep his knowledge of the wizarding world."

"What's the situation like with your Mum, Dean?" Hermione asked carefully. She was pleased to hear that Seamus's family wouldn't be affected, but since Dean's mother was a muggle, she was guessing she'd been told she would be obliviated once Dean left school.

"She's going to be obliviated at the end of next year," Dean replied. "But she's okay with it. In fact, she's just met a new bloke and she reckons it'll be easier to keep my secret once she doesn't know about it. It'll make things easier for them, and it won't affect how much I see her. All I have to do is keep quiet about my magic."

"So you don't hate me?" Hermione checked.

"No-one hates you, Hermione," Dean answered with a small smile. "You can't choose your parents. Besides, maybe your father isn't as bad as we've always been told. He's not exactly going around terrorising anyone these days."

"My father doesn't want to hurt anyone," Hermione said. "He'll only fight if he has to, and he won't be going after anyone. We can all live in peace."

"Peace sounds good," Seamus replied.

Hermione gave Seamus a smile, before she refocused on Neville. After securing Trevor's tank, she taught Neville the spell to fix his lid just in case it came loose again. She then left the boys to enjoy the rest of their trip up to school, while she rejoined her friends.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Harry wasn't sure if the start of term feast would be different with his father in charge, but things pretty much ran the same. First came the sorting of the first years, and once they were settled Severus got to his feet and gave a brief speech, welcoming the new students to Hogwarts and greeting the returning students. He then introduced the three new Professors, before sitting back down and letting the feast begin.

"Talk about short and sweet," Hermione chuckled to Harry as her brother delivered his start of term speech in well under half the time Dumbledore had been known to take.

"It's better than sitting for hours like we had to do with Dumbledore," Harry replied, as he eyed up the food that had appeared on the table.

Hermione and Harry were sitting with Neville, Dean and Seamus to eat their meal. Ron and Ginny had been sitting nearby when the pair had first entered the Great Hall, but once they realised that Hermione and Harry were still sitting with the Gryffindors, Ron had jumped up and he'd dragged Ginny down to the other end of the table. No doubt, Ron would later make his mouth go about Hermione and Harry still being in Gryffindor, but for now Harry was enjoying the peace away from the redhead.

Sadly the peace didn't last that long as all too soon the feast was over and it was time to go up for Gryffindor Tower for the first time that year. Almost the second they were in the common room, Ron stalked over to Harry and Hermione and started demanding answers from them about why they were there.

"We're here because this is our house common room," Hermione replied evenly.

She was aware that most of the Gryffindors were watching Ron confronting her and Harry, and she suspected how they reacted now would affect how people treated them over the coming year. If they lashed out at Ron, as she so desperately wanted to do, chances were people would turn against them. However, if they kept their cool and were non-threatening, people would trust them and see that they had nothing to fear from them, even if they did have dark wizards and witches as their family.

"And why haven't you joined the snakes?" Ron demanded. "That's where Death Eater scum like you two belong, down in the dungeons with the other monsters."

"We're Gryffindors, not Slytherins," Harry replied, sounding just as calm as Hermione. "We've always been Gryffindors, and we always will be."

"Gryffindors are loyal, not cheating back-stabbers like you two," Ron spat. "And Gryffindors are not thieves."

"Thieves?" Hermione frowned in confusion, not sure where Ron was going with his latest insult.

"Yes, thieves like Potter," Ron snarled, glaring at Harry. "He's been stealing from the Potters vault for years. He's nothing but a common criminal. The Potters vault had millions in it, before he got his filthy hands on it."

"Firstly, my name isn't Potter, it's Snape," Harry said. "And secondly, I'm not a thief, and I can prove it."

Leaving everyone wondering how he was going to prove his innocence, Harry turned and jogged up to the boys dorms. When he returned, he had a pile of parchment in his hands. Laying it out on a nearby table, he invited Ron, and anyone else who was interested, to have a look.

"These are all the withdrawals I made from the Potters vault over the last five years," Harry explained. "Withdrawals I only made when I had to, I might point out. And this is a recent receipt from Gringotts where I made a deposit in the Potters vault." Harry's fingers stabbed one of the pieces of parchment, drawing Ron's attention to it. "As you can see, I've repaid every single galleon I took from the Potters vault. I might be many things, but a thief isn't one of them."

"These could be faked," Ron pouted.

"Why would I fake all this?" Harry asked with a snort. "I never wanted the Potters money, I just had to use the vault to keep up my cover."

"Or you could have just been truthful from the beginning," Ron spat.

"If it wasn't for Dumbledore, we would have been," Harry replied with a shrug as he gathered up his receipts. "He was a danger to our family, and we couldn't be ourselves until he was gone."

"The only danger in this world is your family," Ron snapped at Harry and Hermione. "And if anyone here as any sense they would have nothing to do with you," He added loudly, looking around the room for support.

Unfortunately for Ron, no-one leapt up to agree with him, so he stalked off to the boys dorm in a huff. Surprisingly, even Ginny didn't agree with her brother and Harry could have sworn she gave him a small smile before she also headed off to her dorms. Obviously, Ron was going to be their biggest detractor this year, and luckily for them he alienated people who might support him by his reckless accusations and angry insults. All they had to do was keep calm and keep their darkness under control, and Ron would be the one looking bad in people's eyes. As long as they played their cards right, Ron would be the one left on his own, and Hermione and Harry would have the support of the majority of the students of Hogwarts.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry was awoken his first morning back at Hogwarts by the sound of bickering. Sitting up in bed he found Ron having a go at poor Neville. Dean and Seamus were also sitting up in bed, trying to work out what was happening. Not that Harry himself was too sure what was happening as Ron just seemed to be insulting Neville for no obvious reason.

"You're just a coward," Ron spat at Neville.

"Hey, watch your mouth, Weasley," Harry called as he jumped up to defend Neville. "What's Neville ever done to you?"

"None of your business, Snape," Ron sneered, emphasising Harry's surname. "Just stay out of things that don't concern you."

"I will not just stand back and let you insult my friend," Harry insisted.

"Neville's not your friend, he's just some other chump you spent five years lying to," Ron retorted.

"Enough," Neville cried. "Thank you for sticking up for me, Harry. I can't say I'm totally impressed with the lies you and Hermione told us all, but I can see why you did it. I still consider us friends."

"You're not just a coward, you're a traitor as well," Ron spat. "That's it Neville Longbottom, I'm no longer your friend."

"I don't need friends who judge me," Neville replied as he turned and stalked into the bathroom.

"Idiot," Ron sneered at the closed bathroom door. "You two should also separate yourselves from Neville. Not only is he a coward, but he's friends with You-Know-Who's family."

"You can't tell us who to be friends with, Ron," Dean said.

"Yeah, we're big enough to make our own decisions," Seamus added.

"You're all fools," Ron stormed, before he turned and whirled out of the boys dorm.

"What exactly was that about?" Harry asked with a frown. "What's poor Neville done?"

"It's all about the summer," Seamus supplied. "Apparently this Order of Dumbledore's earmarked Neville to fight against your family. Ron's Mum went to see Neville's Gran, but she refused to let Neville get mixed up in things. Ron reckons Neville should stand up to his Gran, but Neville agrees with his Gran. He doesn't want to get involved."

"So Ron's branding him a coward," Harry stated with a shake of his head. It was typical of Ron to turn on someone who didn't let themselves be manipulated by the Order.

"I get he's upset at what happened last year," Dean said. "But it's not fair to take it out on Neville. He's angry at you and Hermione, not Neville."

"Yeah, he can hate me all he wants, but Neville doesn't deserve such treatment," Harry agreed.

"Try telling Ron that," Seamus snorted. "You know what he's like, Harry. He's always going off the deep end, and this time he might have gone too far with Neville. Neville might be quiet and a bit sensitive, but he's not a complete push over. He won't stand for someone talking to him the way Ron just did."

"I don't blame him," Harry said. "Ron was right out of order just now."

"Yeah, he was, but we're better off just staying out if it," Dean said.

Harry nodded absent-mindedly, but as he began to get dressed he couldn't stop thinking about what he'd just witnessed between Ron and Neville. He really did feel bad about Neville being victimised by Ron, as he genuinely liked Neville. The last thing he'd wanted was for Neville to lose his friends. He could cope with losing Ron as his friend, as he'd never really been fussed about him, but it wasn't fair for Neville to lose out.

By the time Neville re-emerged from the bathroom, Dean and Seamus had left the dorm room and Harry was alone. Neville gave Harry a small smile as he began to get ready.

"I'm sorry Neville," Harry said quietly. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not," Neville replied. "You didn't force Ron to turn on me."

"Yeah, but Dean and Seamus explained why he turned on you," Harry said. "It's because you won't take my place in the prophecy."

"How do you know about the prophecy?" Neville asked, turning to look at Harry.

"Dumbledore told me all about it," Harry replied. "My Grandfather also knows bits and pieces. But I can tell you that the Order are wrong about it being about you. They don't know who the prophecy is about, or even if it's ever going to come true. But I do know, you don't fit the whole profile."

"So I'm not destined to kill your Grandfather?" Neville checked, and Harry could sense he was relieved at the news.

"No, you're not destined to kill Grandpa, and he won't be coming after you if that's what you've been told," Harry replied. "As long as you don't fight him Neville, you'll be fine. Everyone will be. We don't want a war, we just want to get the wizarding world back to how it used to be. We don't want to fight, but we will if we have to."

"Don't worry, Harry, I won't be fighting," Neville replied. "Nor will my gran. After what you said last year, she changed her views about Dumbledore. She thinks it's safer for both of us to stay out of things and get on with our lives. So Ron can hate me if he wants, but I won't be used as a weapon."

"Good for you, Neville," Harry said with a smile. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Do you want to go down to breakfast?"

"Sure," Neville answered.

Once Neville had checked Trevor was settled in his tank, the pair headed down to breakfast. Since school always started on the first of September, it meant the day they arrived back to Hogwarts always varied and this year the first had fallen on a Friday, so their first two days back to school was a weekend. Normally on weekend, breakfast ran for a couple of hours, but the previous evening everyone had been informed that breakfast started at eight, and they were all to be present.

"Do you think there's something special going on?" Hermione asked as she joined Harry and Neville in going down to the Great Hall.

"Dad never mentioned anything," Harry replied with a shrug.

"You know I still can't get over the fact Snape's your father," Neville chuckled. "Although without the glasses you do look like him."

When the trio entered the Great Hall, they found Ron sitting sulking next to Ginny. He was ignoring Dean and Seamus, who were sitting nearby, and he physically turned his back when Neville sat down next to Dean.

"Git," Hermione muttered to Harry as they sat down next to Neville.

"Just ignore him," Harry replied as he grabbed some toast and a pot of strawberry jam.

Over breakfast, Ron pointedly ignored Hermione and the boys from sixth year, while they just pretended as though he wasn't there. They weren't going to let Ron ruin their first morning back at school. The group were just wondering how they was going to spend their weekend, when Severus got to his feet and called for silence.

"At the end of breakfast, I want all sixth years to remain behind," He announced, before sitting back down and resuming the conversation he was having with Lucius.

"What's going on?" Dean asked Harry with a frown.

"Beats me," Harry answered with a shrug.

"Shouldn't you know as the headmaster's son?" Seamus asked with a smirk.

"I know nothing," Harry replied with a laugh. "I knew nothing before, and it's still the same. We didn't even find out Beth was going to be teaching this year until last week."

"Really? You didn't know?" Seamus asked Hermione.

"Not a clue," Hermione replied. "They sprung it on us over dinner."

As they'd been talking, the other students had started to leave and soon it was just the sixth years sitting in the Great Hall. Once everyone had cleared out the tables cleaned themselves and Severus got to his feet again. By this time the only staff left at the Professors table were Beth, Lucius and the other three heads of house.

"Since last year wasn't the most settled of years, it's made sorting out classes for the sixth years harder than normal," Severus explained. "As you know, I started last year as Potions master, and I required top grades to continue on with Potions, but when Professor Slughorn took over, he didn't demand such high marks. It means that you might not have worked as hard to achieve the top grade, since it wasn't needed at the time. In order to get a better ides of your skills, Professor Granger wants to test you all."

"A test?" Theo spluttered. "Please not another test on the first day of term."

"I'm sorry Mr Nott, but it's the only way I can see what you're all capable of," Beth said as she got to her feet. "I've got your work and your grades, but I want to see you all in action. I'll base my decision on your past work, and what I see you do with my eyes. I'll warn you all now, that Potions from here on in will be hard work, therefore I will only take the students I feel can handle the work."

"When is this test?" Draco called.

"It starts this morning," Beth answered. "You will come down to the Potions classroom in groups and I'll give you a quick test of your abilities."

"Your head of houses will provide you with a schedule," Severus continued. "And since there was also a bit of interruption in Dark Arts last year, we've decided to do the same thing in that subject. Professor Malfoy will also be testing the students to see what they're capable of. I think a few of you underperformed in Dark Arts last year due to the fact you spent a term rehashing old stuff, instead of learning new things. The Dark Arts tests will also take place over the course of the day. You will find out if you're eligible for classes on Monday morning when the time tables are given out."

"I can't believe we have to have tests on a Saturday," Theo complained loudly as the four heads of houses set about gathering their students and assigning them times for their tests.

"Professor, do we have to do this?" Ron asked McGonagall as she gathered her Gryffindors.

"Yes," McGonagall answered. "With the upheaval last year, it's the best way of correctly assessing your abilities."

"But I don't want to take Potions or Defence," Ron replied. "I refused to be taught by Death Eaters."

"You will be taught by whoever is employed to teach you," McGonagall snapped before either Harry or Hermione had a chance to respond to Ron. "Your education is not optional, Mr Weasley. You can't pick and choose your lessons based on Professors."

"I'll write to my Mum, she'll have something to say about this," Ron threatened.

"Then I'll tell your mother the exact same thing," McGonagall responded. "If she has a problem with the staff, she's free to remove you from the school. But as long as you're at Hogwarts you will treat Professors Granger and Malfoy with the same respect you give all the staff."

"I'll just make sure I fail their stupid tests then," Ron muttered as McGonagall handed him his schedule for the day's testing.

Hermione and Harry both thought that McGonagall hadn't heard Ron at first as she said nothing and continued to hand out her schedules. However, when she was finished, she went straight back over to the Professors desk and whispered something to Beth. Whatever she whispered had Beth looking at the Gryffindor table, and from the smirk she threw Ron's way, Harry and Hermione suspected McGonagall had just informed her of Ron's plan to deliberately fail his test. They were even more sure that's what McGonagall had done when Beth then approached Lucius and whispered something that had the blond wizard chuckling and smirking evilly in Ron's direction.

Once everyone had their schedules, and knew what time they were expected in each classroom, the sixth years were dismissed. Hermione and Harry headed over to the Slytherins, where they headed outside to wait for their first test of the day. As it turned out, Harry and Hermione had the same schedule as Draco, Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Neville and Ron. Which meant their first test of the day was Potions, just before lunch.

When they arrived in the Potions classroom, Beth directed them all to a cauldron and told them to brew the Potion that was written on the sheet beside their cauldron. Everyone was brewing a different potion, so cheating wasn't an option. As they got started, Beth wandered around the classroom, watching each student and talking to them to find out if they were cut out for Potions.

"Don't be so nervous," She said to Neville, as she reached his work station and steadied his shaking hand. "It's not the end of the world if you can't brew a perfect Potion. My Grandfather was hopeless at Potions. In fact he blew the kitchen up trying to mix a pepper up potion when I was just six. Potions aren't for everyone, and I hear you're king of the greenhouses."

"I do like Herbology," Neville admitted with a slight blush.

"I'm sorry to say Neville, I don't see a future for you in Potions," Beth confessed with a slight smile. "But if you want my advice, forgot about something like Potions, which isn't your forte, and concentrate on something you are good at. Focus on Herbology, and you could really make a name for yourself."

"Thank you Professor," Neville replied, relaxing now he knew he didn't have to carry on taking Potions.

Beth gave Neville one final smile, before she walked over to where Ron was working. Just like McGonagall had informed her, the red-headed boy wasn't putting any effort into his potion. Beth watched him for a while, but when she tried to talk to him, he just ignored her.

"That won't work on me," She told him with a chuckle. "I don't care if you'll speak to me or not. I can make my own mind up, and I think you've got what it takes to carry on in Potions."

"You what?" Ron spluttered, forgetting about his vow to ignore Hermione's mother.

"You're not a natural, but you're not a danger either," Beth continued. "I see potential in you, and I think with some effort you can handle the work this year."

"But I don't want to take Potions," Ron protested.

"And that is not your call to make, Mr Weasley," Beth replied with a slight smirk as she turned around and headed off to check on Draco. She actually wasn't sure if Ron could cope with the work, but she wasn't giving him the satisfaction of walking way from her class because he didn't like her.

By the end of the test, Beth had practically guaranteed everyone but Neville a place in her class. However, she again reiterated to Neville that just because Potions wasn't his subject, it didn't make him any less of a wizard. So for the first time ever, Neville left the Potions classroom not feeling like a complete failure.

After lunch, there was another break before the group went up to Lucius's Dark Arts test. Instead of setting them all off doing their own thing, Lucius sat the group down and one by one he called them up and gave them a series of challenges. Harry, Hermione, Draco and the Slytherins all sailed through their challenges, and even though he was clearly nervous, Neville also managed to display enough ability that Lucius was happy for him to continue on with the lesson. Finally it was Ron's turn, and from the second he got to his feet it was clear he wasn't even trying. Everyone could tell he was deliberately failing to master whatever task Lucius set for him.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for being so utterly useless," Lucius eventually sneered at Ron, causing the rest of the group to snicker at the red-head's misfortune.

"But no-one's got any points yet," Ron cried in dismay.

"It looks like Gryffindor are starting the year in arrears then," Lucius replied with an unconcerned shrug. "Although, if you're going to carry on like this in my classes, you're going to be losing a lot more points over the course of the year."

"Your classes?" Ron repeated. "I can't possibly have passed your tests."

"You failed them all miserably," Lucius confirmed. "However, I can see it was deliberate. I have no idea if you will be able to cope, since you wouldn't show me what you can do, so I'm just going to have to take a chance. Congratulations, Mr Weasley, you've earned yourself a place in my class."

Ron glared angrily at Lucius, but there was nothing he could do as the Professor dismissed the group so he could get on with everyone else's tests. Storming out of the classroom, Ron went off muttering about how he was going to write to his mother. Although, Harry and Hermione just found the whole things hilarious. If Ron had just taken the test seriously, there was a good chance he wouldn't have been taking either lesson. It was obvious he wasn't good enough at Potions, and Beth was just refusing to let him get out of her class, and the same could be said for Lucius. They'd both made him take their classes because he'd tried to duck out of them, whereas if he'd just done as they asked they would have both left him alone and let him drop their subjects. Instead he was now faced with a year of being taught by Lucius and Beth, and it would certainly lead to some entertaining lessons.


	9. Chapter 9

The first week of school passed relatively smoothly. Hermione and Draco both found it odd to have one of their parent's teaching, but Harry had no sympathy for them, after all, he'd spent the last five years being taught by his father. Hermione did point out that it was different for him, as no-one had known Severus was his father, but Harry wasn't buying it. He reckoned his aunt and best friend just needed to suck it up and accept that their parents were now Professors.

As the end of the first week drew closer, Hermione was still finding it weird having Beth teaching Potions. Although, it did help to accept her as a Professor, as like Severus, she didn't favour Hermione in any way. The same could also be said of Lucius, as in the Dark Arts lessons they'd had so far, he'd never once shown Draco any favouritism.

On Friday afternoon, Hermione and Draco both had their last lesson free, so they'd settled themselves under one of the big trees down beside the Black Lake. There was a few other students outside, enjoying the last rays of summer, but none of them bothered the couple as they sat under the tree. Draco was sitting with his back to the tree, while Hermione was sitting in between his legs, her back nestled against his front as his arms encircled her waist.

"So how do you think things are going?" Draco asked his girlfriend. He was thoroughly enjoying the fact his relationship with Hermione was now out in the open, and they could spend an afternoon lounging in the sun.

"What with?" Hermione questioned. "Having Mum teaching Potions, or everything else?"

"I was talking about everything else," Draco clarified. "I know what it's like to have your parent suddenly being your Professor. I was just wondering how you thought people were taking all the revelations. I have to admit, things I've been calmer than I expected."

"I must admit I expected more resistance," Hermione agreed. "Although, I do think most people are just being cautious. One wrong move, and I still think the school can turn against us. But right now, people aren't willing to cause waves. They're waiting to see just how things are going to pan out."

"Everyone except Weasley," Draco said. "He's still causing trouble."

"Of course he is, this is Ron we're talking about," Hermione replied with a laugh. "He was always going to be trouble."

"And what about the Weaselette?" Draco asked. "I haven't seen her jumping to side with her brother very often."

"That's because she hasn't been," Hermione answered as she swivelled her head to look up at Draco. "She's been pretty quiet and she's stayed away from Harry and I, but I've seen her watching Harry. She still fancies him."

Draco laughed at his best friend's misfortune. "I don't believe it. How can she still fancy him after what happened last year?"

"Beats me," Hermione shrugged. "She really is a brainless idiot."

"Don't be so harsh, that might by your future niece-in-law," Draco joked.

"As if," Hermione snorted. "I'm sure Harry would rather spend his entire life alone than marry that little tart."

"Even so, she could be useful," Draco mused as Hermione twisted her head back around to face the Black Lake.

"How?"

"Well, with you, Harry and Severus all deserting the Order, we have no-one on the inside," Draco replied. "She might be able to tell us things."

"You really expect her to betray her family and turn to our side?" Hermione questioned, this time twisting her entire body so she was facing her boyfriend.

"Not exactly," Draco replied with a wicked grin. "But she might be easily manipulated. She might tell Harry something she shouldn't if he's nice to her."

"You will never get Harry to agree to play up to Ginny," Hermione stated. "The plan actually has merit, but Harry won't be on board with it. Not now he's finally free to be himself and he can focus on getting together with Daphne."

"Maybe we can use someone else," Draco said thoughtfully. "Blaise is pretty charming."

"Blaise is pretty smitten," Hermione retorted, turning her boyfriend's head to the side so he could see Blaise sitting nearby reading to Luna, who was lying with her head in his lap.

"Okay, Theo then," Draco suggested, returning his attention to Hermione.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied. "Don't get me wrong, I really like Theo, but he lacks Blaise's natural charms. He's hardly likely to be able to wheedle sensitive information from Ginny. I think we're just going to have to let this one go. Besides, I doubt there's much to know about the Order, and even then, Ginny might not know anything. She is still a kid, and I knew from experience that Molly treats her like one. Chances are she knows nothing of any value."

"You're probably right," Draco agreed with a nod.

"I usually am," Hermione replied with a grin.

Draco chuckled slightly at his girlfriend as he leant forward and captured her lips with his. Oblivious to the other students down by the lake, the pair lost themselves in the kiss. Draco's hand moved up to tangle in Hermione's hair, while the other one settled on her hip. As Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco, one of her hands slid under his shirt and her fingernails scraped over his toned torso, while the other one trailed lower and teased his zipper.

"Tease," Draco hissed, grabbing Hermione's hand before she opened his trousers in full view of half of the school.

"You love it really," Hermione replied as she rearranged herself so she was properly straddling Draco's lap.

"We're going to have to find somewhere to be alone," Draco said, groaning slightly as Hermione rubbed her backside against his crotch.

"I like that idea," Hermione replied. "Any ideas?"

"Well the room in the library is out, since Harry knows about it," Draco said. "There is the magical room we used last year. The first time we tried it, there was a decent sized bed in the room."

"There was," Hermione agreed, remembering the bed and how at the time they hadn't been ready to take that step in their relationship.

"Just leave everything to me," Draco said, kissing the end of Hermione's nose. "Next Saturday place yourself in my hands, and I promise we'll have a good time."

"Next Saturday?" Hermione queried. "What's wrong with this weekend?"

"Sorry babe, but I've got quidditch to sort this weekend. With Harry as the Gryffindor captain, we've got to up our game this year. I need to organise try-outs as quickly as possible. But I promise, next Saturday I'm all yours."

"I'll hold you to that," Hermione replied with a smile, before she leant forward and ended their conversation by slanting her lips over Draco's.

Once again the couple indulged in a heated kissing session, and when they finally pulled apart they were both breathing heavily and had slightly glazed eyes. If it wasn't for the fact they were outside, and in full view of a fair few people, they both knew that their kissing session would have turned into something more. As it was, they were both fairly turned on and Draco wouldn't be able to stand up without everyone getting a good look at just what he had to offer in the trouser department.

Sliding off his lap, Hermione settled back down on the grass beside her boyfriend, and they stayed like that for another half hour. By that time, Draco had calmed down enough to stand up and it was almost time for dinner. Walking back into school, hand in hand, they shared a brief goodbye kiss at the entrance of The Great Hall, before they separated and headed off to their respective tables.

Hermione had no sooner sat down that she was joined by Harry. Like her boyfriend, he was full of quidditch talk and he informed Hermione that he was also planning to try and sort his team as soon as possible. It looked like both her boyfriend and her nephew were planning on spending the weekend devoted to quidditch, so her first weekend back at school was going to be a boring one.

After dinner, Hermione headed up to Gryffindor Tower with Harry. She'd managed to persuade him to have an evening off before he focused on quidditch for the rest of the weekend, so they were planning on settling down for a game of chess.

"Let me just pin the sign-up sheet up on the noticeboard," Harry said when they arrived back at the common room.

"Okay, I'll set up the board," Hermione replied.

Hermione had barely taken Harry's chess set out of the box when Ron arrived in the common room. Over the course of the last week the redhead had taken to pointedly ignoring Harry and Hermione, but it seemed he'd had enough of that and the first thing he did when he entered the room was head over to see what Harry was placing on the noticeboard.

"Quidditch try-outs," Ron snapped loudly. "Why are you pinning up a sign up sheet for quidditch try-outs?"

"I need to put the team together, and most of them left last year," Harry replied, sticking the last pin in the bottom corner of the sheet.

"You need to put a team together," Ron repeated with a frown. "Don't say they made you captain."

"Okay, I won't say it," Harry replied with a shrug as he turned around and made his way back to Hermione, who had paused in setting up the game to watch what was going to happen with Ron.

"Seriously? You're the captain?" Ron demanded. By this time several people were watching with interest, not that Ron was bothered about the audience.

"I'm the captain," Harry confirmed as he sunk down in one of the cosy chairs beside the fire.

"Well, I quit," Ron said. "I won't play for you."

"Fine by me, your place wasn't guaranteed anyway," Harry shrugged.

"You were going to kick me off the team," Ron thundered, turning red at the revelation.

"Everyone needs to try out for the team, no-one's position is safe," Harry answered calmly. "If you'd wanted to be on the team, you would have had to go through try-outs."

"Well I don't want to be on your poxy team," Ron snarled. "Good luck finding a replacement."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Harry snorted in amusement. "Let's be honest Ron, you're weren't the best keeper in the world. I never would have put you on the team last year if I'd been captain. And your performances did nothing to change my mind. You were hopeless, especially in the last match against Slytherin. Draco put a girl on the team, and you turned to mush. Pathetic."

"I'll show you who's pathetic," Ron roared as he pulled out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Without thinking, Hermione leapt up as soon as Ron pulled out his wand, and when he spat a spell at Harry, she pushed her nephew out of way, causing Ron's full body bind curse to hit her firmly in the back. Hermione crashed to the floor, unable to move or react in any way, as her nephew pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Ron.

"Calvorio."

As the jet of red light hit Ron, several people burst out laughing as his mop of unruly red hair vanished, leaving him completely bald, but Harry turned straight to Hermione and released her from the body bind.

"What have you done to me?" Ron cried as everyone laughed at him.

"Take a look in the mirror," Harry called over his shoulder, causing Ron to run out of the room, before he turned to his aunt and gave her a smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hermione replied, rolling her shoulder tentatively.

"Really?" Harry checked, not sure he believed his aunt.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but a shrill, girlish cry sounded from the boys dorms, followed by angry footsteps on the stairs.

"Snape!" Ron growled, bursting into the room. "Give me back my hair."

"Sorry, don't know how," Harry replied with a smirk. Of course he did know how to reverse the spell, but he wasn't going to tell Ron that.

"You're going to pay for this," Ron vowed as he stalked over to the door so he could go and see if Madam Pomfrey could help him.

"You got what you deserved for attacking Hermione," Harry shot back as Ron darted out of the common room, all the time muttering about getting his revenge.

"You're going to have to watch out for Ron," Hermione advised her nephew. "He'll be after you now."

"As if I care," Harry retorted with a snort. "I'm not scared of Ron Weasley."

"You might get into trouble though," Hermione pointed out. "You did hex his hair off."

"After he tried to hex me, and hit you instead," Harry argued. "There's plenty of witnesses to say he started it. I didn't provoke him in any way, all I did was tell him he would have to try out for the quidditch team if he wanted to play this year."

"You did say he was a rubbish keeper," Hermione laughed.

"After last year's fiasco with Slytherin, is it any wonder?" Harry replied. "Everyone knows he was terrible last year, Hermione. No captain in their right mind would just allow him back on the team without seeing if there was someone better out there. I just want the best team, and I don't think Ron is part of that team. But if he wants to try out, I'll give him a fair go."

"I think he made his position clear," Hermione said. "He won't be trying out for the team."

"I don't really think it's our loss," Harry answered. "Now about this game of chess, are we ever going to get on with it?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Hermione replied.

As they settled down to play, Hermione noticed Ginny signing up for quidditch try-outs, and she wondered what Ron would make of it. However, she didn't have to wait long to find out as Ron came stomping back into the common room, his hair back in place, less than half an hour later. The first thing he did was walk over to the sheet to see who had signed up, and he turned a nasty shade of purple when he saw his sister's name.

"Traitor," He hissed as Ginny. "I can't believe you're going to play for him."

"It's just a game, Ron," Ginny replied with a sigh. "You know I've always wanted to play quidditch. I'm not missing out."

"Well don't expect me to support you. I hope Gryffindor lose the cup this year," Ron seethed, turning on his heel and stomping up to the boys dorms.

"Well, isn't he Mr house spirit," Lavender Brown remarked with an inelegant snort.

"Typical Ron," Harry muttered to Hermione. "Always losing his cool over something."

"That temper of his will get him in trouble some day," Hermione predicted as she once again rolled her shoulder, which was becoming a bit stiff.

She'd let Ron get away with cursing her, because Harry had hit him back, but if he ever attempted to hurt her or Harry again, she would make sure he paid for it. Next time he lashed out, he would regret it and Hermione was sure that the only person going to get hurt if Ron carried on like this was Ron himself. She would have thought he would have known better than to mess with The Dark Lord's family, but obviously he was too thick to realise he was putting his life in danger by carrying on the way he was. If he wasn't careful, he'd go the same way as Dumbledore.


	10. Chapter 10

After spending a week listening to Harry going on about sorting his precious quidditch team, Hermione was more than ready to spend a Saturday evening with her boyfriend. Leaving Harry to continue his decision about who to include on his team, Hermione headed off to the library where she was meeting Draco. She was just hoping the blond could talk about something other than quidditch, as she knew he'd also spent the past week sorting his team.

Fortunately, when Draco turned up at the library, he didn't mention quidditch as he pulled Hermione into his arms and greeted her with a searing kiss. Their kiss drew the attention of a few passing students, but they paid them no attention as they were too caught up with each other.

"We should probably get out of here before someone goes running to a Professor to complain about us snogging in the hallways," Draco said as they slowly separated.

"Do you really think anyone would dare?" Hermione asked with a snort.

Even though they'd only been back at school for a couple of weeks, Hermione could already see a change in how people reacted around her and Harry. There was a definite wariness in people, and she wasn't sure many people would risk their wrath by going running to a Professor.

"You never know," Draco replied with a shrug. "Some people might be willing to play dirty to get us into trouble."

"They might," Hermione reluctantly agreed. "And we could do without Mum finding us. She still hasn't remembered that she was going to give us the talk. I don't know about you, but I would rather avoid that conversation."

"Definitely," Draco said with a nod. "Let's get going."

Taking hold of Hermione's hand, Draco led her away from the library and towards the main staircase. Hermione let Draco lead her up a couple of floors, before she asked where they were going.

"It's a surprise," Draco replied, looking back over his shoulder and giving Hermione a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes, knowing she wasn't going to get any more out of Draco. Instead she quietly followed him, trying to work out where he was taking her. It wasn't until he led her into a corridor on the fifth floor that Hermione realised just where he was taking her. He was taking her to the Prefects bathroom, a room she'd only used once since gaining the position of Prefect the previous year.

Coming to a stop outside of the door, Draco said the password and the door swung open. Taking hold of Hermione's hand, he pulled her into the bathroom and shut the door, engaging the lock that would ensure they weren't disturbed.

"I thought this would be something different," Draco announced with a grin.

"I thought we were just going to the room that changes into whatever we want," Hermione replied in a small voice.

"We can do that later, for now I thought we could have a nice bath," Draco replied as she pulled on his wand and began to fill the bath.

Draco was halfway through filling the bath, making sure to select just one fragrance of bubbles as he found multiple fragrances overwhelming, when he realised Hermione was still standing just inside the door. Turning back around to see what was keeping his girlfriend, he was shocked to find she was eyeing the water warily. She was also extremely pale, and when Draco took hold of her hand, he found she was shaking slightly.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

"I can't do it," Hermione confessed in a whisper.

"Can't do what?" Draco asked in confusion. He highly doubted she was worried about stripping off in front of him as he'd already seen her naked on multiple occasions.

"I can't get in the water," Hermione replied. "Sorry Draco, but I can't do this. Can we just go somewhere else?"

"I don't understand, Hermione," Draco said with a frown. "What do you mean, you can't get in the water?"

"I've tried, and I just can't," Hermione said. "The tub's too big."

"Too big?" Draco turned back to the large tub, and tried to understand what Hermione was getting at. True, the bathtub was more like a pool than a bath, but it would be the perfect size for them to have a bit of fun. "I still don't get it," He said, as he turned back to his girlfriend. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were scared of the water."

"I am," Hermione whispered as she turned her head away from Draco in embarrassment.

"No, you're not," Draco argued. "I've known you forever, and while you're not a strong swimmer like Harry and I, you're not afraid of a big bathtub. I've seen you in the sea before."

"As you said, that was before," Hermione said quietly. "Before I was kidnapped and held hostage underwater. Ever since then, I've been scared of water. I tried to use the prefects bathroom last year and I just couldn't do it."

Draco mentally kicked himself for forgetting about Hermione's ordeal in fourth year. As he'd mentioned, she'd never been a strong swimmer, but she'd never been scared of the water. However, she'd been really shaken up by what had happened in fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament, and Draco was furious with himself for forgetting about it. He should have thought and realised that his idea wasn't the smartest.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Draco apologised as he flicked his wrist and turned off the taps. "I never thought about fourth year. I just thought about how nice it would be to have a bath together."

"It's not your fault. You weren't to know I'm a complete basket case," Hermione replied with a depreciating smile.

"You are not a basket case," Draco insisted firmly. "A fear of water is understandable after what you went through."

"I guess so," Hermione replied with a sigh. "But being afraid of a big bath is kind of embarrassing."

Draco smiled at Hermione and pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I don't care what you're afraid of, I still love you."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered as she hugged Draco tightly, her eyes on the nearly filled tub behind him as an idea occurred to her. "Will you do something for me, Draco?"

"Anything," Draco replied as he pulled back to look at his girlfriend.

"Help me overcome my fear," Hermione said, sounding more confident than she felt. Now she'd had the idea of trying to get over her fear with Draco at her side, she was determined not to give in to her fear and go running off.

"Now?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded determinedly. "Now. If it doesn't work we can call it a day, and we can try another time. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life frightened of water."

Draco knew Hermione really meant she didn't want to be frightened of anything. He knew her well enough to know that she wanted to be seen as tough. As Voldemort's daughter she wanted to live up to his dark reputation, and in her eyes she could never be feared if she was afraid of anything. She needed to be fearless if she wanted to become the dark witch she so desired to be.

"Okay, I'll top the water up and we can get in. And I promise, I won't let anything happen to you," Draco vowed.

"I know you won't," Hermione whispered as Draco flipped a couple of the taps on and fresh water began to run into the bath.

Leaving Draco to sort the bath, Hermione quickly shed herself of her clothes. By the time she was down to her underwear, Draco had once again turned off the taps. When he turned round to face her and spotted she was just in her bra and knickers, his grey eyes devoured her half naked body and Hermione felt a surge of confidence run through her. After all, it was quite hard to be scared of what was going to happen when Draco was looking at her as though he wanted to devour her.

"You need to catch up," Hermione said with a smirk.

"Can do," Draco replied, returning Hermione smirk as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped his trousers.

Unlike Hermione, who had stopped at her underwear, Draco carried straight on and removed all his clothes. Hermione took a moment to admire Draco's naked form, before she shrugged off her own underwear and tentatively walked over to the side of the tub. Coming up beside her, Draco took hold of her hand.

"Come on, I'm right here," He said gently as he took a step into the large tub.

Hermione slowly followed Draco into the tub, and even though she had hold of his hand, she felt herself tense up the second the water touched her. Refusing to let herself be beaten by her fear, Hermione continued to enter the water, even though every inch of her was screaming to leave the water. Moving slowly and carefully, Draco walked Hermione into the centre of the tub, before he peeled off and settled down at the side of the tub.

"Just relax," He urged as he gently tugged Hermione down so she was sitting in between his legs.

Hermione took a deep breath as she tried to do what Draco said. Leaning back against Draco, her hands gripped his thighs as she willed herself to relax. Draco did his part to help her relax by summoning a wash cloth and gently rubbing it over Hermione's body. Slowly, Hermione began to feel safe in Draco's embrace and she let her eyes slide shut as she sunk lower in the water.

"See, it's not too bad," Draco whispered in her ear as his hands continued to roam her body.

"I admit, I could get used to this," Hermione admitted. She still wasn't totally comfortable, but she knew a few more sessions in the bath with Draco and it would become a favourite way to spend a few hours.

While Draco's initial plan had been to have a bit of fun in the tub, it soon became clear that sex wasn't on the agenda in the Prefects bathroom. Even though Hermione was now in the water, and was slowly relaxing, Draco could still sense how tense she was. Instead of it being the naughty bath he'd hoped for, the bath had turned into a therapy session for his girlfriend. Not that Draco minded, he was just happy that he'd been able to help Hermione overcome her fear.

The couple actually remained in the bath for nearly an hour, and by the time they got out, Hermione admitted they could visit the room again. Draco knew it would take a few more session for Hermione to really become comfortable in the water, but he was confidence it would happen, and when it did he foresaw a lot of fun in their future.

"I know this wasn't quite what you had planned," Hermione said as they redressed. "So unless you've got other plans for the rest of the night, how about we go to the room on the seventh floor."

"Sounds good to me," Draco replied with a grin. "And just so you know, I'm yours for the night. I don't know about you, but I could get away with staying out all night."

"Lavender and Parvati will notice if I don't go back to Gryffindor Tower, although I don't think they'll really care," Hermione said. "They've never really liked me, and I now think they're too scared of me to risk telling on me. It should be safe for us to spend the entire night together."

"Excellent."

Draco grinned at Hermione, and joining hands the pair darted out of the Prefects bathroom and hurried up to the magical room on the seventh floor. Pacing in front of the wall, revealed a door and when they entered the room, they found a small, but romantic bedroom, lit by dozens of candles hovering in the air. A large double bed dominated the room, but in the corner of the room was a roaring fire and a shaggy black throw. There was also a table sitting beside the bed, holding a bowl of mixed fruit, a small bowl of whipped cream and a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne and two glasses.

"Wow," Hermione breathed as she stepped into the room.

"Nice," Draco agreed as he walked over to the bowl of fruit, plucked a grape from the bowl and popped it into his mouth.

"Bed or throw?" Hermione asked, kicking off her shoes and testing how soft the black throw was.

"Your choice."

"Throw," Hermione announced as she pulled off her clothes and settled herself down in the throw in just her underwear.

Grabbing the two bowls, Draco deposited them on the floor beside Hermione. He then poured two glasses of the champagne, and handed them to his girlfriend. Stripping off his clothes, he just left his boxers on as he joined Hermione on the throw.

"Here's to a romantic evening," He said, picking up one of the champagne glasses.

"I'll drink to that." Hermione clinked her glass against Draco's before taking a sip of the golden liquid in her glass.

Smiling warmly at each other, the couple then settled down for a romantic evening together. The couple spent nearly an hour lounging in front of the fire, before things started to heat up and they moved the action to the bed. Once in the large bed, they made full use of it's size before snuggling down and falling asleep in each other's arms. Despite the fact they were at school the couple were more than happy to spend their first full night together. In the future, they were hoping they would spend nearly every night together, but right now they just had to settle for the odd snatched night here and there.

* * *

 **A/N – I just want to say thanks to the people reviewing and reading this story. Although, I do seem to have attracted what I can only think of as a troll, posting as a guest. Over the last couple of chapters, I've received several guest reviews for each chapter (all posted within minutes of each other), saying how the light is going to win and such. Considering this is a dark Hermione and Harry story, and all the main characters are dark, I can't imagine anyone seriously reading this story if they want a light victory. I'm assuming whoever is leaving the reviews either thinks its funny, or they're trying to annoy me. Either way, I'm deleting the reviews and just ignoring them. If they want to delude themselves that the light will win, or even more hilariously that Harry and Hermione will go back to the light and end up with Ginny and Ron, then they can feel free. I'm sure all my regular readers, or anyone who is reading this story seriously, knows exactly which side win ultimately win. Anyway, thanks again to the genuine readers and supporters, and I hope you continue to enjoy COTD.**


	11. Chapter 11

Sipping his tumbler of top notch firewhisky, Voldemort studied the papers on his desk. The papers were all from the Ministry of Magic, and they detailed how things were going with the muggleborn initiatives. He also had a few papers dealing with other Ministry business, such as the rights of House Elves, but right now his focus was on the muggleborns and muggles. Voldemort knew these initiatives were the most important ones as if they failed, he would have to resort to his back-up plan of taking control of the wizarding world by force.

Voldemort wasn't opposed to using force to get what he wanted, after all that was the way he'd gone about things in the past. However, he accepted that force wasn't always the key. He could get results just as good by using manipulation and underhand tactics to achieve his means. Besides, by doing things the way he was, he was also offering his family some extra protection. Of course they still weren't totally safe, not while certain fractions of the Order were still around, but they were safer than if the wizarding world was involved in an all-out war.

Even though things seemed to be going according to plan, Voldemort was still taking the time to draw up alternative lines of attack. Just because things were running smoothly now, didn't mean it was always going to be that way. After Dumbledore's death, the Order had gone to ground, but Voldemort didn't think for one minute that the threat they provided had gone. Yes, without Dumbledore it was diminished significantly, but not totally snuffed out. The Order could still be a problem, and Voldemort wanted to be prepared for any eventuality.

Over the last few weeks, Voldemort was actually coming to think he'd made a mistake in his actions the previous year. They'd all been so keen to get the truth out, so that Hermione and Harry didn't have to hide any more, they'd failed to think about the fact they'd left themselves adrift from the Order. A few months ago, Voldemort had three of the people he trusted the most right in the heart of the Order, and now he had none. They were now left with no way of knowing just what the Order were up to.

Shuffling through his notes, Voldemort found the list Severus, Harry and Hermione had helped him compile of the known Order members. They'd made the list so they'd known just who they were dealing with, but now Voldemort was looking at it for potential weak links. He was looking for someone on the list that they could use to keep the flow of information coming their way. Luckily, he also had additional notes on each person thanks to his two children and grandson, so he was hoping he might find a clue in some of the extra information he had about the Order.

Voldemort studied the list for nearly an hour, and every time he came back to a couple of possibilities. One was Mundungus Fletcher, a petty thief and lower ranking member of the Order. Voldemort was convinced he could get Fletcher on his side, just like he'd done with Pettigrew all those years ago. However, Fletcher wasn't totally trusted by the majority of the Order and there was a question mark over just how much he would be able to tell them. Still it was worth a shot, and Voldemort made a mental note to get one of his Death Eaters to get Fletcher in their pocket. Even a little bit of gossip he'd overheard might prove useful if things got dicey with the Order.

The other people Voldemort kept turning to when scanning the Order numbers were a family of three – the Tonks's. Andromeda Tonks was Narcissa's sister, while her husband Ted was a muggleborn and their daughter, Nymphadora, worked at the Ministry as an Auror. Voldemort knew from Bernard Nott that Tonks was a good Auror, and she was very loyal to the light. She'd been part of the group that had complained bitterly when the Aurors were relieved of the duty of catching dark witches and wizards. Voldemort wasn't sure if they'd be able to use the daughter, but he did wonder if they could use her parents.

Normally, he would have asked Narcissa to try and reconnect with her sister, and play the part of a long suffering wife who didn't want to go along with her husbands darkness. However, with recent events, he didn't think Andromeda would fall for that. Instinct was telling him that if they wanted to use any member of the Tonks family, they were going to have to force them to do their bidding. Maybe a kidnapping could be the way to go. They could kidnap either Andromeda's husband or daughter, and then force her to pass information on to them if she wanted her family to live.

Voldemort was mulling over potential ways he could arrange a kidnapping, without alerting the rest of the Order, when there was a knocking on the front door. Voldemort frowned at the interruption, but he didn't rise from his seat. One of the house elves could answer the door, although he wasn't sure who would be knocking as most people who visited the house would just arrive by floo. A few minutes later he got his answer as one of the elves appeared in the doorway to his study.

"Yes, Dippy?" Voldemort inquired with a polite incline of his head.

"Mrs Lestrange is in the living room," Dippy replied hesitantly. "She insisted on coming in."

"I'm sure she did," Voldemort said. "I'll deal with it Dippy, you get back to work."

"Yes Sir," Dippy replied with a low bow before he disappeared with a sharp crack.

Voldemort took a few moments to clean his desk and tidy his work away, before he left the study and headed towards the front room. When he entered the living room, he found Bellatrix standing beside the fire, a gold picture frame in her hand as she scowled at the picture. Voldemort knew it was a picture of Beth and Hermione that had been taken a few years ago.

"Is there a problem, Bella?" Voldemort asked, making his presence known when Bellatrix roughly slammed the frame back down on the fireplace.

"My Lord." Bellatrix whirled round at the sound of Voldemort's voice, and The Dark Lord noticed how her frown was instantly replaced with a sly smirk.

"So?" Voldemort prompted when Bellatrix didn't answer him.

"So what?" Bellatrix frowned in obvious confusion.

"The problem," Voldemort replied. "I'm assuming you have one, or why else would you be here?"

"No problem," Bellatrix replied with a shrug. "I just thought I would come and see you and see how you were doing?"

"You make me sound ill, Bella," Voldemort remarked as he sat down on one of the sofas. "Why wouldn't I be doing just fine?"

"It must be lonely, being in this big house all alone," Bellatrix replied as she settled herself next to Voldemort and placed a hand on his leg. "I thought you might like some company."

"I'm perfectly fine, Bella," Voldemort said as he moved her hand off his leg. "Beth's only been up at Hogwarts for a few weeks, and she comes home quite regularly."

"Even so, it's not the same," Bellatrix purred, replacing her hand on Voldemort's leg and leaning over to give him a glimpse of her cleavage. "A man needs his wife around, not running off having a career of her own. You need someone to be there when you need them. Someone who puts your first."

"And I suppose you're volunteering for the job?" Voldemort questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be running around in Scotland if you were mine," Bellatrix replied. "If you were my husband, I would be by your side all the time."

Voldemort gave Bellatrix an appraising stare, before subtly moving his head nearer to her. Instantly she surged forward, but before she got a chance to actually plant her lips on his, he roughly grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Luckily for me, you're not my wife," He hissed angrily. "Don't think I can't see what you're doing, Bella. You thought you'd coming running round here and try it on with me the second my wife is away. Just what do you take me for, Bella? I love my wife, and I would never betray her. Especially not for someone as desperate as you. Now get out of my house before I make you regret what you've just tried."

Voldemort let go of Bellatrix, and he felt slightly smug when she flinched away from him. Quickly Bellatrix rose to her feet, and mumbling an apology she hurried towards the doorway.

"Oh and Bella," Voldemort called, causing Bellatrix to pause in the doorway. "If you try anything like this again, you will regret it. Not only will you have me to deal with, but I'll let Beth at you. And believe me, my wife wants you gone more than anything. You don't want to get on her bad side, do you Bella?"

"No, My Lord," Bellatrix whispered.

"Good," Voldemort replied with a nod. "This is your final warning, Bella."

Voldemort smirked as Bellatrix bolted out of the house. Chuckling at the sound of the front door slamming behind his top female Death Eater, Voldemort refilled his glass of firewhisky and returned to his work in his study. Beth was due back the following day, and he planned on spending the weekend with his wife, so he wanted to get as much work done as possible before his wife's return.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

While Voldemort was busy working on ways to get the inside track on the Order, Sirius and Remus were working hard to bring down the dark wizard, his family and their supporters. Following their visit to the old Riddle and Gaunt houses, they'd been spending their time scrutinising the things they'd taken from both places. It had taken a few weeks, but finally they'd sorted the junk from things that could be useful.

"This is it?" Sirius asked Remus with a snort as the werewolf showed him a collection of three items they'd retrieved from the to houses. "Out of all those bags of things, we're down to three."

"Three that might by what we're looking for," Remus corrected. "Alastor kept a few pieces to look into further, and he gave me a couple of books which might prove handy. As for everything else, they're in a box in one of the spare rooms. But these three items all contain traces of dark magic according to the checks, Alastor, Kingsley and Tonks have run on them."

Sirius nodded as he picked up the items, one at a time. The first one was a little statue of a dragon, the second one was an old ornate ring, and the final piece was a small trinket box. After examining each piece, he placed them back down on the desk where Remus had laid them out.

"What do we think?" Sirius asked his best friend. "Do any match the items from Dumbledore's list."

"This one does," Remus replied as he picked up the ring. "Alastor is fairly sure this is the resurrection stone that was turned into a ring. This was definitely on Dumbledore's list. As for the other pieces, we've got no way of knowing if they were ever owned by one of the Hogwarts founders, or if they've just came into contact with dark magic at some time over the years."

"This resurrection stone, how does it work?" Sirius asked.

"Supposedly if you put it on, it'll show you people you've lost," Remus replied. "But Alastor says it's not safe. He thinks there's a curse on the ring."

"If it's being in You-Know-Who's hands, of course there's curse on it," Sirius agreed. "Only a fool would actually put the ring on."

"A fool or someone desperate to see their lost loved ones," Remus replied quietly.

"No-one is that desperate," Sirius declared with a snort. There was plenty of people he wanted to see who were no longer with them, including James and his younger brother, Regulus, but he still wasn't stupid enough to put on the ring without making sure it was safe.

"So now we need to keep these items safe," Remus said, deciding it was best to leave the topic of the ring alone for the time being. "Chances are, the ring is the only Horcrux, but we may as well put the other things in safe keeping."

"There's a safe in my bedroom, it can only be opened by a family member, we can put them in there," Sirius replied. "Although we are going to think about how to destroy them. There's no good collecting all these Horcruxes if we can't destroy them."

"I've been doing some reading into Horcruxes, and they're practically impossible to destroy," Remus confided as the pair gathered up the items and headed to Sirius's room.

"But one already has been destroyed," Sirius pointed out. "We can use the same method."

"A basilisk fang," Remus said thoughtfully. "But was it the fang or the venom that destroyed the Horcrux? And even if we knew which, how are we going to get our hands on either Basilisk fangs, or Basilisk venom?"

"Could we get down into the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius questioned. "I know McGonagall isn't headmistress like she should be, but she might still be able to sneak us into the castle."

"Dumbledore sealed the chamber after the attacks," Remus supplied. Even though he hadn't been teaching the year the Chamber of Secrets was open, he'd been at Hogwarts the following year and the staff had often spoken about the terrifying events of the previous year. "We can't get near the chamber."

"Pity," Sirius remarked as he placed the three items in his safe and sealed it back up again. "I wonder if we can mail order what we need from a potions company."

"I'll look into it," Remus promised. "But in the mean time we need to think about where to go next. As we've discussed Hogwarts is going to be practically impossible to gain access to, and we don't want to alert the dark to what we're doing by sniffing around Hogsmeade."

"How are we coming with the cave Dumbledore mentioned?" Sirius checked as the pair made their way back down to the kitchen, where Remus started to make a pot of tea.

"I've got a rough location," Remus answered. "We could start visiting the area and try to narrow down the specific cave we need."

"Let's get on with that," Sirius said with a nod of his head. "I need to do something, Remus, all this sitting around is driving me mad. I know we've got to tread barefacedly, but while we're taking things slowly the dark are gaining more influence over the wizarding world. Nott's already got his muggleborn initiatives into play at the Ministry, and he's slowly pushing out people who don't support the dark."

"I know," Remus said with a sigh. He shared Sirius's frustrations, and like his friend he feared that the dark sides grip on the wizarding world was starting to get too tight. At this rate, even if they found all the Horcruxes, it would be too late to actually save the wizarding world from Voldemort's grasp.

"Although we could just be doing this for nothing," Sirius continued in a rant. "The prophecy clearly states that a boy will be the one to defeat You-Know-Who. If it is Neville, like Dumbledore suspected, then we're sunk. Bloody Augusta Longbottom won't let us anywhere near her grandson. We need him on side if we're going to win this war."

"Molly went in too hard," Remus remarked as he handed a cup of tea to his fried and slumped into the seat opposite him. "Instead of taking things slowly with old woman Longbottom, she rushed in and tried to press her into joining us. There's no way she's going to back down now, not now Molly has gotten on her bad side."

"Then we'll have to go around her," Sirius stated. "Go straight to the source. We need to convince Neville to join us, and since he's nearly seventeen, there's nothing his grandmother can do if he chooses to join the Order."

"To do that we need to get someone who really knows him to woo him," Remus mused. "I don't think Neville is quite as gullible as people think. He's got a mind of his own, and he won't be forced into doing anything."

"Write to Ron and Ginny," Sirius ordered. "We can get them to cosy up to Neville and get him onside."

"Good plan," Remus said with nod. "I'll rattle off an owl later on. But for now, let's get back to these caves. As I said, I've narrowed down the area, but there's a lot of caves in the area. It could take us a few trips to get the right one located."

"It's not like we're overrun with other things to do," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Let's get searching for this cave."

Polishing off their tea, the two wizards got to work on the next leg of their plan. They still had a long way to go if they actually wanted to defeat Voldemort and the dark, but they were making progress. Hopefully, they'd soon have the upper hand and then they could strike and start restoring the wizarding world to what it was like before Voldemort took control and Nott became Minister.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – At the moment, it just seems like it's one things after another with this site. A few hours ago I had a couple of PM's from people letting me know there's someone writing nasty troll guest reviews under my pen name – cleotheo. Even though I would hope it was obvious, I am not the one leaving these reviews. When I read a story and leave a review (not that I read much in the Harry Potter fandom anymore) – I leave it through my account, and I am never rude to others as I know how upsetting it can be to get nasty, hateful reviews. I would just like to spread the word that whoever this troll is, it isn't me. If anyone sees one of these reviews, please let the author know that it doesn't come from me. I publish on this site because I love to write and I have so many people who seem to enjoy my stories, and I'm assuming it's the same for other people. I would hate to think that someone ended up hurt, and potentially got put off writing, because of some troll leaving nasty reviews under my name, so I hope word can spread and anyone getting these reviews can find out that it's just some pathetic troll, and not me. Thanks, and let's hope whoever is sending these reviews realises how pathetic they are and stops.**

* * *

Ron angrily stabbed at his food as he moodily ate his breakfast. Normally on a Saturday he was a late riser, but these days he didn't want to spend any extra time up in the dorms, where he was forced to live with Harry. Although, right at the moment Harry was also sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. Glancing down the table, Ron felt his temper rise even further as he witnessed Harry and Hermione laughing over something. It really irked him that the pair were carrying on as normal. It was as though the previous year had never happened, and things were just the way they'd always been.

When he'd returned to school, Ron had braced himself to face Harry and Hermione, but he hadn't expected things to run the way they had. Firstly, he hadn't expected the pair to remain in Gryffindor, he'd been sure they would have transferred to Slytherin. Secondly, he hadn't expected everyone to act as though nothing had happened. It seemed to Ron that he was the only person that truly had a problem with who they were. Everyone else was as nice as pie to the pair, and it infuriated Ron to no end. He just couldn't believe that people weren't up in arms about the pair. For five years they'd lied and played everyone for fools, yet no-one but Ron seemed angry about their deceit. Even Ginny had seemed to change her tune once they'd returned to school.

As annoyed as Ron was with everyone else, he was downright furious with his sister. Over the summer she'd been just as mad as him and the rest of the Order, but she'd quickly changed her tune now they were back at Hogwarts. She'd signed up for quidditch try-outs and made the team despite Harry being captain, and Ron was sure he'd even seen his sister throw Harry a few flirtatious glances.

Feeling more alone than ever, Ron turned his attention back to his breakfast. However, for once he wasn't hungry and he shoved his plate away without even eating half of what was on it. Finishing off his juice, Ron stood up to leave just as some post owls entered the Great Hall. Not seeing the family owl, Errol among the owls entering the hall, Ron turned away from the post and made his way towards the doors. Just as he reached the door, he heard Ginny call his name.

"Ron wait," Ginny called as Ron chose to ignore his sister and carry on leaving the Great Hall.

"Whatever it is, I'm not interested Ginny," Ron snarled as he continued to walk away from his sister. Given the way she'd been acting around Harry and Hermione, he didn't really want to talk to his sister.

"Stop being such a moody git and listen to me," Ginny snapped, grabbing hold of Ron's arm.

Reluctantly, Ron turned to face his sister. "What is it Ginny?"

"This letter is addressed to both of us," Ginny said, holding up a letter that had just been delivered. "And it's not from Mum and Dad."

"Who is it from?" Ron asked in curiosity.

"I don't know yet, I haven't opened it," Ginny answered, rolling her eyes at Ron. "I thought we could do it together."

Eager to see what was in the letter, Ron headed into an empty classroom with Ginny so they could open the letter in private. Once inside the classroom, Ginny ripped open the letter and read it out loud. The letter was from Remus and Sirius, asking them to get friendly with Neville and convince him to join the Order.

"Great," Ginny snorted, practically shoving the letter into Ron's hands. "You've well and truly scuppered any chance of getting Neville on side with your attitude towards him."

"I didn't know, did I," Ron shot back. "It's not my fault Neville's gran is a whack job and won't let him fulfil his destiny."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to have a go at Neville," Ginny argued. "He's not the enemy, here."

"As if you would know who the enemy was," Ron snorted, shoving the letter in his pocket. "You've been all over Harry since we've been back at Hogwarts. You've certainly changed your tune since we've been back."

"Because I'm not running around alienating everyone?" Ginny questioned. "Grow up, Ron. Do you really think your attitude is helping anything?"

"I'm sorry, should I be sucking up like you are?" Ron growled. "I just can't forget what those two have done to everyone. I can't just pretend as though nothing has happened."

"And you think it's easy for me?" Ginny asked with a sigh as she sat down on one of the desks. "Just because I don't shout and scream doesn't mean I'm any less angry than you are. I hate Harry and Hermione. In case you forgot, they tried to kill me and frame me for opening the Chamber of Secrets back in my very first year. But lashing out isn't getting you anywhere, so I've decided to play things a bit differently."

"So all this is an act?" Ron checked, surprised by the revelation.

"You honestly thought I was okay with them?" Ginny questioned, shaking her head at her brother's stupidity. "Seriously Ron, I want nothing more than to bring the pair of them to their knees. I just don't think we're going to achieve anything if we're both lashing out."

"Sorry, I didn't think," Ron muttered sheepishly.

"I'm used to that," Ginny replied with a chuckle. "But next time, just talk to me instead of pushing me away. The only way we're going to achieve anything is together. We can't be fighting each other, not if we want to bring Harry and Hermione down."

"And we will," Ron vowed, smiling at his sister as he settled beside her on the desk. "So what now? I don't think I can suck it up and act all nice like you can."

"That wouldn't work anyway," Ginny admitted. "They would be suspicious if you changed your tune now. Carry on the way you have been, and leave the sneaky stuff to me."

"And Neville?" Ron asked. "Like you said, I've got no chance of getting him on side. I was pretty nasty to him."

"You can try and apologise to Neville," Ginny suggested. "But don't push it. Make an apology, and leave it. We've got time to get Neville on side. Just like we've got time to get other students on our side."

"Other students?" Ron queried.

"Yes, other students," Ginny replied with a smirk. "I was thinking we could try and form our own mini Order in Hogwarts. Of course we'll have to take things slowly. You'll have to be patient, Ron. We will get Harry and Hermione, and all of their rotten family."

"Yes, we will," Ron agreed. "Do you fancy talking tactics this morning?"

"Sorry, we've got quidditch practice," Ginny replied as she hopped off the desk. "Just remember Ron, I'm on your side. Although, in public feel free to continue to act annoyed with me. Harry and Hermione might get suspicious if we're suddenly whispering in corners considering you've spent the last few weeks barely speaking to me."

"Got it," Ron said. "Things will carry on as normal, and we can plan our attack in secret."

Sharing a devious smile, the two siblings parted ways. Ginny went to get ready for quidditch practice, while Ron headed off to think about what he was going to say to Neville. Ginny was right, and making things right with Neville was going to be a slow process. They couldn't just rush in and get him back onside. But luckily they had plenty of time, since Neville wasn't really any use to them until the rest of the Order had found and destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After getting together his quidditch team, Harry was pretty pleased with the first practice of the new season. He'd thought long and hard about choosing his team, but he was confident he'd picked the right players. Apart from himself and Katie Bell, all the other players were new to the team.

The beater positions went to a couple of friends from fourth year who worked almost as well together as the Weasley twins used to. Ron's old position of keeper very nearly went to Cormac McClaggen, but Harry had instead gone for a fifth year who hadn't tried out the previous year. As for the chasers, the first free position went to Dean, who was by far the best of those on show, and the second position went to Ginny. Harry had been wary of putting Ginny on the team, but she was good and unlike Ron she wasn't proving too irrational about the previous year. Plus, Ron was furious with his sister for trying out for the team, and Harry had enjoyed winding the redhead up by actually giving Ginny a place on the team. It certainly created friction between the two siblings, and Harry was all for doing anything that drove a wedge in between the perfect Weasley family.

After a good first practice, Harry had dismissed the team and after gathering up the quidditch balls, he made his way back to the changing rooms. Since there were both witches and wizards on the team, the changing rooms were split in two. When Harry entered the boys side, he found everyone had changed and headed back up to the castle. Stripping off his sweaty clothes, Harry decided to have a quick shower before he headed back up to Hogwarts.

Once he'd finished in the shower, Harry wrapped a towel around his waist, before heading back over to where his clothes were lying. However, he'd barely managed to pull on his boxers when he heard someone entering the boys side of the changing room. Whirling round, he found Ginny entering the room. Since her long red hair was damp, Harry was assuming she'd also chosen to shower after the practice.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you weren't dressed," Ginny apologised, even though she didn't turn away and in fact openly ogled a half-naked Harry.

"Can I help you, Ginny?" Harry asked as he speedily pulled on his trousers and yanked a clean t-shirt over his head.

"I just want to thank you," Ginny replied with a smile.

"For what?" Harry questioned, looking at the younger witch in suspicion. Despite the fact Ginny had tried out for the team and hadn't caused trouble, Harry was still having trouble believing she was as okay with everything as she appeared. Hermione seemed to think that Ginny wasn't as against Harry as her brother, but Harry wasn't as sure.

"For giving me a chance," Ginny answered. "I don't suppose you really want me on the team. Not when you hate my family."

"I don't hate your family," Harry replied, even though he knew he was partly lying. Truthfully he didn't universally hate the Weasleys, but he disliked more of them than he actually liked. "We're just on different sides of things."

"I know," Ginny replied with a nod. "But I'm still grateful you gave me a chance. I promise I won't let you down. Quidditch has nothing to do with what else is going on between out families. I want to win the cup, and I'll do everything I can to help that happen."

"That's all I want, Ginny," Harry replied. "I picked you for the team, because you were the best person for the job. As long as you don't mess up we'll have no problems."

"You can count on me, Harry," Ginny vowed, giving him a dazzling smile before she turned and sauntered out of the changing rooms.

Harry watched her leave, wondering if Hermione had been right after all. Maybe he was just being paranoid about her not being as okay as she appeared. Maybe Ginny was so stupid that she'd let her crush on him affect her judgement. Or maybe, Harry was the one who was right and Ginny wasn't to be trusted. Not that it really mattered as Harry didn't trust Ginny. He'd just used her to anger Ron, and as long as she performed during the quidditch matches he had no problems with having her on the team. However, outside of quidditch he planned to have nothing to do with Ginny Weasley.

Pushing thoughts of Ginny out of his head, Harry gathered his things and headed back to the castle. His first stop was Gryffindor Tower, where he dumped his bag and threw his laundry into the basket at the bottom of his bed. He then quickly ran a comb through his unruly hair before he headed off to try and find Hermione, Draco or anyone else of interest.

Fortunately for Harry the first person of interest he found was Daphne. Daphne was lying on the grass beside the Black Lake, reading a wizarding romance novel. Harry couldn't see any of the other Slytherins nearby as he approached the witch he was getting friendly with.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Feel free," Daphne replied with a smile when she looked up and saw it was Harry who had approached her.

"All alone?" Harry questioned as Daphne shut her book and sat up.

"Not anymore," Daphne said. "So what have you been up to this morning, Harry?"

"Just a quidditch practice," Harry answered.

"Ah, I think Draco and the boys are planning theirs as we speak," Daphne said. "I'm sure it's tomorrow morning they've got the pitch."

"Yeah, I think that's what Draco said," Harry agreed.

"He trusted you with his practice time?" Daphne asked with a surprised laugh. "Isn't he worried you're going to spy on him and the team?"

"I promised I wouldn't," Harry replied with a grin. "As tempting as it is, he's my best friend and I'm not going to cause trouble just for a game of quidditch."

"You truly are a good friend, Harry," Daphne said.

"I try," Harry replied modestly, as the pair settled down for a good chat.

Half an hour later the pair were still talking away like old friends, when the upcoming Hogsmeade trip was mentioned. The trip was actually still a couple of weeks away, but Daphne mentioned that Draco seemed to be looking forward to the prospect of going down to the village with Hermione.

"Yeah, they're liking the whole public thing," Harry admitted. "I think this last five years has been pretty tough on them."

"I'm sure it's being tough on you too," Daphne said. "You've also spent five years hiding your true self."

"Yeah, but it was harder for Draco and Hermione once they started dating," Harry pointed out. "They found it hard not being able to spend time together. At least I didn't have that problem."

"What problem did you have?" Daphne asked in a teasing manner.

"I couldn't ask the girl I liked out because she thought I was the enemy," Harry answered.

"And now?" Daphne inquired.

"And now she knows the truth."

"So have you asked her out, yet?"

"Not yet," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid she'll reject me."

"Then she's a fool," Daphne answered. "Any girl would be lucky to go out with you."

"Really?" Harry's smile widened as he was suddenly flooded with confidence. "In that case, Daphne would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"I'd love to, Harry," Daphne replied, grinning back at Harry.

The smile on Harry's face grew even wider as Daphne accepted his offer of a date. Finally, his love life looked to be getting on track. With any luck the date would go swimmingly and Harry would land himself a gorgeous girlfriend. Harry was certainly hoping the trip to Hogsmeade would be the start of a beautiful relationship between himself and Daphne.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry was up bright and early on the day of the Hogsmeade trip, but he still wasn't downstairs any earlier as he took extra time to get ready for the day ahead. When he did go down to breakfast, he only managed a quick bite to eat before his nerves got too much for him and he couldn't eat any more.

"Calm down Harry, it's only a trip to Hogsmeade," Hermione said to her nephew as they wandered back up to Gryffindor Tower to grab their jackets.

"Yes, but it's also a first date," Harry pointed out. "Surely you're nervous about going out with Draco today."

"Why would I be nervous about going down to Hogsmeade with my boyfriend?" Hermione asked with a laugh.

"It's your first time out as a couple," Harry replied. "You may have been together for a while, but this is your first public date."

"We went to Diagon Alley over the summer," Hermione answered with an unconcerned shrug.

"Yes, with a group," Harry argued. "This will be your first time alone on a proper date."

"Even so, I'm still not nervous," Hermione replied. "As you say, we've been together for nearly two years. Given some of the other stuff we've done together, going down to Hogsmeade is tame."

"Okay, okay, I don't need any more details," Harry interrupted. He strongly suspected his aunt and best friend had slept together, but every time he feared his suspicions were going to be confirmed he changed the subject as he didn't want to know any details.

Hermione just laughed as the pair grabbed their jackets and headed back downstairs. In the front hallway, Draco was already waiting for Hermione. When the blond greeted Hermione with a searing kiss, Harry rolled his eyes and turned away from the affectionate couple. Given their public displays of affection since the truth had emerged, Harry was rather pleased he was skipping going down into the village with the couple.

"Are you sure you and Daphne don't want to join us?" Draco asked Harry. "We're meeting up with Blaise and Luna for lunch, and spending the afternoon with Theo, Vince and Greg."

"We'll see at lunchtime," Harry replied. "But for this morning, it's just going to be the two of us."

"Okay, have a nice time," Draco called as he and Hermione exited the hallway to go down to Hogsmeade.

As Harry stood in the hallway it seemed like everyone was heading down to Hogsmeade, although there was no sign of Daphne. Just as Harry was beginning to wonder if he'd been stood up, Daphne appeared from the stairs leading from the dungeons. Harry's face instantly broke into a wide grin as Daphne approached him.

"Sorry I'm slightly late, I couldn't decide what to wear," Daphne said with a sheepish smile.

"Well you look amazing," Harry said, his bright green eyes scanning over Daphne. She was wearing a long black and purple print skirt, a pale lilac top and had a black jacket thrown over her arm.

"Thanks, Harry," Daphne replied with a smile as she pulled on her jacket. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am," Harry replied with a nod, and exchanging smiles with Daphne the pair left the castle and started walking down to Hogsmeade with everyone else.

"Seems like it's going to be a busy day," Daphne remarked as they were half way down to Hogsmeade.

"Yeah, it looks like most of the school are going to be down in Hogsmeade," Harry replied thoughtfully.

"Is that a problem?" Daphne asked, sensing that Harry wasn't quite as eager to head down into the village as he'd been moments earlier.

"Not really," Harry answered. "I guess I'm just a bit wary of being around so many people who could possibly hate me."

"You think most people hate you?" Daphne questioned in surprise. "I thought everyone had taken the news surprisingly well. There doesn't seem to be a big outpouring of hate aimed towards you and Hermione."

"Maybe because most people are smarter than Ron Weasley," Harry snorted. "Ron may openly hate us and want us gone, but I think most other people are keeping their real opinions to themselves. They're being careful not to show their hand and find themselves classed as enemies. I honestly think there's more people that share Ron's views, they're just not as open in their hatred."

"Even if that is true, it doesn't mean they're going to show their hand in Hogsmeade," Daphne pointed out. "It's no safer down in the village then it is in school. If they try and cause trouble today they'll only get into trouble. Trust me, Harry, no-one will try anything. Just relax and try and have fun."

"I'm sure I can manage that," Harry said, shooting Daphne a grin.

Harry put aside his doubts regarding other students as he and Daphne arrived in the village. They'd no sooner entered the village then they realised most of the students were heading in the same direction.

"What's the big deal?" Daphne asked as a couple of squealing third years ran past them in excitement and ran head first into the crowds.

"No idea," Harry replied. "Do you want to find out?"

"Of course," Daphne replied.

Impulsively, Harry grabbed Daphne's hand and together they ploughed into the crowds. As they neared the front of the crowds, they found that everyone was gathering around a shop. The shop was purple and flashy and there were dozens of balloons tied to the doors. In front of the doors was a red ribbon, and standing next to the ribbon were the Weasley twins, announcing their new shop was ready for the students of Hogsmeade.

"Weasleys Wizard Wheezes is now open," Fred declared as he cut the ribbon and George released the balloons into the air.

"What do you think?" Daphne asked Harry. "Do we try it or avoid it?"

"I do want a look," Harry admitted. "But it's going to be really busy right away. How about we look around some of the other shops before coming back later."

"Suits me," Daphne said.

Turning away from the shop, Harry and Daphne pushed their way back through the crowds waiting to enter the twins new joke shop. Leaving the crowds behind them, the pair headed off to look in some of the other shops. Needless to say, Zonko's was practically deserted and the manager of the shop was complaining loudly about the competition when Harry and Daphne passed the shop.

Passing by Zonko's, the pair headed into Honeydukes. As they entered the shop, they were discussing their favourite sweets. However, the conversation quickly stopped when they turned a corner and almost ran head first into Beth, who was browsing the shelves of expensive chocolates.

"What are you doing here?" Harry hissed at his step-grandmother.

"Buying some chocolates for this evening, your grandfather and I are planning a romantic night alone," Beth answered.

"Don't need to know," Harry said with a grimace.

"Honestly Harry, you're so prudish at times," Beth laughed. "I wasn't as if I even mentioned sex."

"Please don't," Harry begged as Daphne giggled beside him.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone," Beth said with a smirk as she plucked a large box of chocolates from the shelf. "Have fun Harry, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Harry groaned as Beth gave him a wink as she sauntered off to pay for her purchases. Beside him, Daphne continued to giggle and as they wandered further into the shop, she announced that she liked Beth.

"She's fun," Daphne said.

"She is," Harry admitted.

Once they left Honeydukes, Harry had hoped they wouldn't bump into anyone else, but it wasn't to be. Down the side of the quidditch shop, they spotted Hermione and Draco engaged in a heated kissing session. Then they entered the book shop, only to head into the mystery section to find Lucius and Narcissa kissing and groping like a couple of teenagers.

"Harry, Daphne," Lucius greeted with a nod as Narcissa hastily adjusted her dress. "What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for books. It what most people do in a book shop," Harry answered with a cheeky grin.

"Yes, of course," Narcissa replied, giving the pair a shaky smile. "We'll just be going."

"Maybe we can visit the sweet shop next," Lucius whispered to Narcissa as they passed the two teenagers. "I can buy you a bag of your favourite sweets and you can thank me the same way you used to in school."

"Can you believe those two?" Harry laughed as a frisky Lucius and Narcissa swiftly exited the book shop. "It's a good job Draco didn't see them, he would have a fit."

"I think they were just reliving their youth," Daphne laughed "I'm guessing Lucius and Narcissa were randy teenagers."

"Like father, like son," Harry replied. "Draco's a randy teenager, so it stands to reason Lucius was the same."

"How do you know Draco's randy?" Daphne asked warily. "You don't talk about sex, do you?"

"Considering he's sleeping with my aunt, that would be a no," Harry answered. "Although even if he wasn't, the answer would still likely be no. I think some things should be kept private between couples."

"I couldn't agree more," Daphne replied with a small smile.

After grabbing a few books, not from the mystery section after what they'd witnessed, Harry and Daphne exited the book shop. Over the road they spotted Draco and Hermione strolling around the village, but rather than joining them they gave them a quick wave and headed off in the opposite direction. For the rest of the morning, they strolled around the village, calling in the odd shop, but mainly getting to know one another.

"Draco invited us to join them for lunch if you're interested," Harry said as they started to discuss getting some food.

"Sounds good. The Three Broomsticks?" Daphne asked.

"I assume so," Harry replied. "Should we go and see?"

"Let's," Daphne replied, taking hold of Harry's hand as they walked to the pub.

Entering the popular pub, Harry looked around for his best friend and aunt, but instead he spotted his father sitting at the bar. Severus was sitting at the end of the bar, chatting to Rosmerta when she wasn't serving. However, as he watched, Rosmerta leant across the bar and planted a kiss on Severus.

"Damn family," Harry muttered, averting his eyes.

"Your father seems pretty smitten with Rosmerta," Daphne remarked with a smile as she watched the interaction between the headmaster and his girlfriend.

"Yep, it's serious," Harry replied.

Making sure not to turn back to the bar, Harry continued to scour the room until he found Draco and Hermione settled in a corner booth with Blaise and Luna. Making their way over the room, the pair slipped into a couple of spare seats at the corner booth their friends were occupying.

"How's your date going?" Blaise asked.

"Good, how's yours?" Daphne replied.

"Excellent," Blaise answered, smiling at Luna as he placed her arm around her shoulders.

"Are you not going to go and order lunch, Harry?" Draco asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Is Dad still sitting up there snogging Rosmerta at every opportunity?" Harry asked.

Draco made a show of leaning out of the booth and looking towards the bar before he nodded his head. "Yep. They're like a couple of randy teenagers up there."

"Speaking of randy teenagers, we found your parents in the book store," Harry told Draco with an amused smirk of his own. "I think they were reliving old times."

"We caught them less than half an hour ago," Draco muttered with a shiver. "Mother was thanking Father for buying her a bag of her favourite mints. I'll never look at a mint imperial in the same way again."

Harry laughed at Draco's obvious horror about his parents, but he took pity on his friend and instead asked about the twins shop and if anyone had visited it.

"We're going after lunch," Hermione supplied. "Do you want to join us?"

"Daphne?" Harry turned to his date. He actually liked the idea of going to the joke shop as a group, but he didn't want Daphne to think he was cutting their date short.

"Sounds good to me," Daphne replied. "Now can we order, I'm getting hungry."

By the time the group had finished lunch, Theo and the other Slytherins had joined them. Draco's parents had also put in an appearance, and they'd disappeared into the back room with Severus and Rosmerta. Before the adults got a further chance to embarrass them, Harry suggested they make a break for it. After paying the bill, the group left the pub and headed towards the new joke shop in the village.

Weasleys Wizard Wheezes wasn't quite as packed as it had been that morning, but there was still a sizeable crowd as they group entered the shop. As they entered the shop, they all half expected to be stopped and thrown out but no-one gave them a second glance. Instead, they were left alone to fully explore the shop and the ingenious inventions of the Weasley twins.

"This place is so cool," Theo gushed as he piled stuff into a basket to buy.

"Yeah, if only the twins were on the right side," Draco said quietly.

"Shame," Harry agreed as he grabbed a few bits and pieces himself. "Now let's see if we'll be served."

Bracing himself for rejection, Harry took his purchases to the till, where Fred was serving. Upon seeing Harry, Fred's cheeky grin slid off his face. However, he didn't turn Harry away, instead he silently totted up his purchases and only spoke when asking for the money.

"The shop's great," Harry said as he paid. "I'm so pleased you and George got what you wanted."

"Really?" Fred asked, not too sure if he believed Harry after everything that had happened.

"Really," Harry confirmed. "I have no problem with you, Fred. In fact I have no real problem with your family. We're just on different sides of things."

"I guess we are," Fred said quietly as he packed Harry's purchases into a bag and handed it over to him. "I won't be banning you or your friends, Harry, but we're also not friends anymore. Neither George nor I want trouble, but we can't condone what you and Hermione have done. You lied to us for five years, and the pain you caused Ron is unforgivable. Let's just hope things don't get so bad that we have to fight, because we really will be on different sides."

Harry mutely nodded as he walked away from the checkout and let Theo and the other buy their purchases. Once they were finished the group left the shop, and Harry wasn't sure if he would be back. The shop was great, and he loved the twins inventions, but he knew that the atmosphere would always be frosty when he was in the shop.

"Harry, do you want to go for one last walk before we go back to school?" Daphne asked softly.

"I'd like that," Harry replied with a smile.

Saying goodbye to the others, the pair headed off to take one last walk around the village. Eventually they had to head back to school, but when they reached the castle the date ended with a small kiss and the promise to have another date. Although the couple weren't going to wait for the next Hogsmeade trip, instead Harry suggested they could meet up around school. In fact he already had a few ideas of how he and Daphne could date properly without ever having to leave the castle.


	14. Chapter 14

Even with the information Dumbledore had left for them, it still took Sirius and Remus longer to find the cave they thought Voldemort had hidden a Horcrux in than what they'd initially estimated. It was only once they visited the area, that they'd realised the scale of their search. The cave was located on a rugged muggle coastline, and there had been dozens of potential caves Voldemort could have used to hide his Horcrux. However, with a bit of searching Remus and Lupin located what they thought was the correct cave in the first week of November.

"This is definitely it," Remus said from where he and Sirius were perched on a ledge overlooking the sea.

"Really?" Sirius looked around sceptically. "We've gotten here by magic, but how the hell did You-Know-Who get here as a child. I thought Dumbledore picked this place because of and incident in his childhood."

"Things could have been different back then," Remus suggested with a shrug. "The cave might not have been so hard to reach."

"You would hope so, otherwise a child would have no chance of reaching it," Sirius muttered.

"Does it really matter right now?" Remus questioned. "What matters is getting inside the cave and searching it."

"And that's not going to be easy," Sirius remarked, turning his attention to the cave entrance.

A large boulder covered the entrance, and there was a chunk of the ledge they were standing on missing, leading the two wizards to suspect that there'd been a cave in at some time. Anywhere else and they might have just tried to blast their way into the cave, but they were wary of going in hard. One wrong move could bring the entire cave down on them, not to mention the surrounding cliffs. Neither Remus nor Sirius wanted to be responsible for what could potentially be a devastating accident in the muggle world.

"I think what we need is patience and thought," Remus said, giving his best friend a warning glance.

"I can be patient," Sirius protested.

Remus didn't reply to his friend, he just chuckled quietly and set about examining the large boulder blocking the entrance for any way through. Muttering under his breath about how he was perfectly capable of being sensible, Sirius joined his friend in examining their first hurdle.

"This boulder hasn't fallen into place, it's been placed here," Sirius announced after a few minutes examination. "It's meant to look like a cave in, but it's not."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure," Sirius replied with a confident not. "I think this cave is stronger than we thought."

"You want to use force," Remus stated with a sigh.

"Worth a shot," Sirius replied with a grin as he pulled out his wand and backed up as far as he could on the ledge. Once Remus had also backed away from the ledge, he raised his wand and focusing on the base of the rock, he shot off a spell. "Bombarda!"

Sirius's spell flew into the boulder, and a few small rocks splintered off, but the main boulder held firm. Throwing a few more blasting spells at the boulder, Sirius only succeeded in creating some smaller rocks from the boulder.

"Maybe we should try it together," Remus suggested as he got his wand out.

"Okay," Sirius replied with a nod. "One the count of three. One, two, three. Bombarda!"

"Bombarda!" Remus called at the same time as his friend and two bolts of magic flew towards the boulder.

The two spells hit the boulder at the same instant, and they dislodged yet another small bit of rock. However, the rock came flying back towards the pair and hit Sirius squarely in the forehead.

"Bugger," Sirius spat, falling to his knees with the force of the impact.

"Are you okay?" Remus checked.

"Fine," Sirius muttered, swiping his hand across his head and finding the rock had broken the skin and he was now bleeding.

Ignoring the bit of blood, Sirius surged to his feet and stormed up to the boulder. When he found that all they'd managed to do with their combined magic was create a small crack in the surface, he slammed his bloody hand into the boulder with a cry of annoyance. At this rate they would be at the boulder all day, just trying to blast their way into the cave.

"Careful," Remus warned his friend. However, before he got a chance to pull Sirius away from the boulder to check out his injury there was a creaking noise and the boulder began to slide to one side.

"What the hell?" Sirius muttered, backing away in shock.

"Of course," Remus tutted, mentally slapping himself for not being on the ball. "Blood magic. A blood sacrifice opens the cave."

"A bit primitive isn't it?" Sirius snorted.

"A lot of dark magic incorporates blood magic," Remus replied. "We need to remember that as we advance. We need to think dark."

"Right now that isn't a problem," Sirius retorted as he eyed the entrance to the cave.

"Not so fast," Remus called, stopping his friend before they went any further. "Let's deal with the cut on your head first."

Sirius protested, claiming he was just fine, but Remus was adamant that he got some medical treatment before they moved on. Luckily, it was just a graze and it didn't take long before the two wizards were ready to venture into the cave. Lighting their wands, they stepped into the cave, ready to face whatever Voldemort had in store for them.

What followed was a two hour trek through a dark cave, where they had to overcome several blockages of dark magic. However, it wasn't a constant stream of magic they had to face, more often than not just negating the cave itself was enough of an obstacle. After two hours both Sirius and Lupin were sure they were deep in the bowels of the cliffs. Escape was not going to be easy, but at least they didn't have to pass through all the dark magic again as they'd dealt with it all on the way down.

"Is this it?" Sirius asked as they reached the edge of what looked like an underground lake.

"I think there's an island in the middle of the lake," Remus replied, holding up his lighted wand so they could get a better view.

"Now we just have to get over there," Sirius said, looking from side to side for a bridge of some sort. He didn't really fancy swimming over to the island, but he would if he had to.

Remus was also looking around, and he spotted a rope disappearing into the water. Picking up the rope, he began to pull on it and as he did so, a small boat began to rise from the water.

"Excellent," Sirius beamed, advancing to the edge of the water to help pull the boat closer.

As Sirius helped Remus with the boat, he got a bit too close to the water and his foot ended up splashing into the lake. The second his foot was in the lake, something grabbed hold of it and Sirius found himself pulled to the ground as whatever had hold of him tried to pull him into the water.

"Remus!"

"Sirius." Remus was at his friend's side in an instant and pulled Sirius out of the grasp of whatever had hold of him.

However, in doing so, he'd also ended up with his foot in the water and whatever had hold of Sirius had turned it's attention to him. Or at least, that was how it initially appeared, but the second the mysterious creature in the water got hold of him, it released him. In fact the creature didn't just release Remus, it flung him right out of the water.

"What was that thing?" Sirius panted as he looked down at his leg and found his trouser leg had been shredded by whatever had hold of him.

"I don't know, but it doesn't like me," Remus mused. "It might be my werewolf blood. Hopefully it'll leave us alone now."

"Hopefully," Sirius agreed as he got back to his feet and turned his attention back to the boat they'd been trying to reach.

The boat had vanished, but the rope was still visible, so making sure not to get too close to the edge of the water, the two wizards hauled the small boat to the surface once again. Not wanting to mess around, the pair climbed into the boat as soon as it was near to shore, and using magic they propelled it across to the island. As they travelled, they were aware of creatures floating in the water alongside the boat, but possibly thanks to Remus's werewolf heritage, the mysterious creatures remained in the water.

When the boat docked the pair hopped out as quickly as they could and they scoured the small island. However, the only thing on the island was an ornate font, filled with water, and a silver chalice sitting on the rim of the font.

"Is it the cup, do you think?" Remus questioned, picking up the chalice as Sirius peered into the font.

"I don't think so," Sirius replied. "Come and have a look."

When Remus peered into the font, he spotted a locket sitting at the bottom of the water. However, when Sirius went to reach into the font to grab the locket he found his fingers running over stone. Either the locket was an illusion, or it was hidden in some way which made it impossible to just grab it from the font.

"I think we need to remove the contents of the font," Remus said.

"Worth a shot," Sirius agreed. Grabbing the chalice off Remus, he scooped out a glass full of water and threw it on the floor. However, once the water hit the floor, the font seemed to refill itself.

"I don't think that's the way," Remus said with a sigh. "To get to the locket, someone has to drink the water, and I'm guessing it's poisoned."

"Whoever drinks it will likely die," Sirius pointed out. "It's going to take us another couple of hours to get back out of the cave. That might not be enough time."

"It's a chance we're going to have to take," Remus replied. "I know for a fact we've got a bezoar back at your place, so whatever the poison is we have a cure."

"Providing whoever drinks the poison lives that long," Sirius muttered.

"I'll take the chance," Remus said, taking the chalice from his friend's hand.

"Why you?" Sirius demanded, snatching the chalice back off Remus.

"The werewolf genes in me will fight whatever poison this is, hopefully giving us enough time to get back home," Remus explained. "You know it takes a lot to fell me."

Despite the fact he didn't want his friend endangering himself, Sirius had to agree it made more sense for Remus to take the chance with the potion. Being a werewolf didn't exactly make him immune to poisons, but it took longer for them to work their way through his system.

With the decision made, Remus grabbed himself a chalice full of liquid. Quickly drowning it, he refilled the chalice and poured that down his neck as well. As he drank they both waited for whatever affect the liquid had to take hold of Remus, but nothing happened. The only thing that happened was that the font slowly began to empty. With every glass Remus drank, Sirius tried to get the locket, but it wasn't until the font was practically bone dry that he was able to grab it.

"Got it," He declared triumphantly.

"Good," Remus replied in a slurred voice.

"Remus." Sirius was at his friend's side in an instant as Remus began to sway on the spot. "Hold on, I'll get you out of here."

Tucking the locket safely into his pocket, Sirius helped Remus back into the boat and he steered it back to shore. The trip was slightly rougher than the first one as the creatures in the water seemed to sense that Remus wasn't a threat at the moment. However, Sirius was able to get the boat back to the shore without any major incident. Although, getting out of the boat wasn't easy as Remus could barely stand and Sirius had to practically drag his friend away from the water and whatever creatures lurked in their depths.

"Don't worry Remus, I'll get you out of here," Sirius vowed.

Even though it was a struggle, Sirius managed to get Remus back through the cave. The second they were out of the confines of the cave, and it was safe to apparate, Sirius pulled put his wand and rushed them both back to Grimmauld Place. Both Molly and Tonks were at headquarters, and they immediately rushed to Sirius's aid as he arrived with a nearly unconscious Remus.

"What happened?" Tonks asked in horror when she laid eyes on Remus.

"Some sort of poison," Sirius answered. "Remus mentioned a bezoar, we need it now."

Molly rushed off and got the bezoar, and once Remus had swallowed it, he slowly started to improve. However, he was still settled in bed and Sirius's focus was on firmly on his best friend. As he made sure his best friend was alright, Sirius didn't give the locket in his pocket another thought. In fact it was several hours later, once he was completely sure Remus was going to be alright, before Sirius pulled the locket from his pocket to examine it.

As Sirius pulled the locket from his pocket, his thumb caught a catch on the side and the locket opened up, causing a small sheet of parchment to flutter to the ground. Picking up the note, Sirius frowned when he recognised the scrawl on the paper as belonging to his brother. Reading the paper, he found it was a note for Voldemort, explaining that the Horcrux had been taken and replaced with a fake.

"Regulus what did you do?" Sirius whispered, wondering if the Horcrux had anything to do with his brother's death.

His brother had joined the Death Eaters willingly, but when he'd tried to back off and leave them, he'd been killed. At least that was what Sirius had always believed, but with this note he now wasn't so sure. Maybe he'd gotten killed for some other reason. Although if he had been killed for stealing the Horcrux, why had Voldemort left the fake Horcrux in it's hiding place? Was it to fool the likes of Dumbledore if he ever stumbled on his secret, or he was he unaware that his locket had been replaced? Whatever the answer was, Sirius was sure he wasn't going to find out the truth all these years later. All he could do was hope that Regulus had hid the locket before Voldemort killed him, and in that case there was a very good chance that it was hidden somewhere in Grimmauld Place. All Sirius had to do now, was find it.


	15. Chapter 15

It seemed like school had barely restarted when Hermione, Harry, Draco and their friends boarded the train for the Christmas holidays. The time since the first of September had flown over, although there had been some surprises over the course of the first term. Especially concerning the students and their reactions to Hermione and Harry.

The pair had returned to Hogwarts, fully intending to have everyone but the Slytherins against them, however things hadn't worked out that way. Instead, apart from Ron, they'd had no major resentment aimed their way. Although, that wasn't to say the pair were buying that everyone was unaffected by who they truly were. In fact, both Harry and Hermione believed the majority of the students of Hogwarts were just playing a cautious game. They were convinced that if things escalated, and sides had to be picked, the vast majority of the school would fight against Hermione, Harry and their family. But for now, people were happy to remain neutral, meaning things had been easier than expected for Hermione and Harry.

Although, one thing that hadn't taken them by surprise was Ron. He'd reacted just as they'd expected, and after three months in his company they were becoming used to his daily outbursts. It seemed as though with every passing day, he was getting more and more frustrated at the lack of support he was receiving from the other students and his attitude was suffering. Hermione and Harry had worried briefly when Ron had apologised to Neville, however he didn't make any attempts to get the other wizard on board as they'd feared. Instead, he'd made one apology and then pretty much ignored Neville. Instead his anger was aimed at Harry, Hermione, and his sister, Ginny.

Harry especially was loving the fact that there was such tension between the two Weasley siblings. Even though he didn't believe Ginny was as calm about things as she claimed to be, he was more than happy to pretend everything was fine and let her distance herself from her brother. Of course it helped that Ginny had been a great addition to the quidditch team, and when they'd won their first match of the season, Harry had made sure to publically praise Ginny for her scoring ability right where he knew Ron could hear. The end result was the two siblings arguing yet again, and for the last few weeks of term, Harry had barely seen them acknowledge one another.

Although not everything had been about people's reactions to Hermione and Harry's secret identities. A great deal of their time had been spent on their love lives. Since their first date in Hogsmeade, Harry and Daphne had been practically inseparable. Harry had arranged for them to have dates in and around Hogwarts, including stargazing in the astronomy tower, picnics in the grounds and even a few evenings in the magical room that turned into whatever they wanted. The pair were now very much a couple, and they were looking forward to spending some time together over the Christmas holidays.

As for Draco and Hermione, their romance was going from strength to strength. They'd had a few more therapy sessions in the Prefects bathroom, and Hermione was now more than comfortable in the water as long as Draco was with her. They also spent a lot of time in the magical room, and they'd actually stayed overnight in the room on several occasions. Luckily, no-one had told on them as Draco's friends wouldn't betray him in that way and Hermione's room-mates were likely too scared to tell tales on The Dark Lord's daughter.

Aside from romance and people's surprising reactions to Hermione and Harry, the only other notable events were the staffing changes. Severus had slipped into the job of Headmaster effortlessly and Dumbledore certainly wasn't missed by many students. As for the new History of Magic Professor, he'd actually managed to get people interested in the lesson. Students were actually interested in learning about wizarding history again, and his classes were some of the best in the school. Of course not everyone appreciated the new Professor and his lessons as it meant History of Magic was no longer the easy ride it had once been. There was now a Professor in place who actually cared about the subject, and that meant he also cared about the work people were doing and their homework assignments.

As for Beth, she was proving one of the most popular Professors Hogwarts had ever had. Students raved about her classes and her teaching method, which was very different to Severus's hard line approach. Not that Beth was someone to be messed with, and she was strict if people stepped out of line, but she was great at encouraging people to fulfill their potential. Even Ron struggled to find anything bad to say about her, although considering who she was married to, he downright refused to admit she was a good Professor.

Lucius on the other hand was a bit like Severus - an acquired taste. Students either loved him or loathed him. He didn't blatantly favour the Slytherins, but as with all the heads of houses it was obvious which house he was a former member of. Like Severus he was a strict Professor, and he didn't suffer fools. He could be quite scathing when people messed up, and more than a few inept students had found themselves on the end of his brutal tongue. However, if a student excelled, no matter what their house, he was the first one in line to praise them. Like Beth he believed in encouraging the students, and he was very good at finding something people excelled at and building up their skills around it.

Of course there had been a few nervous students when the classes had been switched to Dark Arts, but so far things seemed to be pretty much the same. The only real difference was that they were learning more about the dark curses and magic before learning how to overcome them. Although, the trio had noticed that in practical lessons certain people never cast the dark curses. Lucius was very crafty in making sure that anyone he considered to be a potential threat, like Ron, didn't get first hand experience in casting dark curses. There was no point handing the enemy advantages, and Ron and the others hadn't seemed to notice that they was missing out on learning certain spells.

On the journey back home, Hermione spent most of the trip sitting beside Draco, gazing out of the window and thinking about the previous three months. Of course as she was doing so, she was aware of Pansy Parkinson trying to wheedle her way into the boys' affections. All term, Pansy had been sharing her attention between Draco, Harry and Theo. At least she had been trying to flirt with Draco, until Hermione had pulled her to one side the previous week and told the witch that if she caught her flirting with her boyfriend again, she'd make sure that no-one ever looked at Pansy again as she'd hex her so badly she'd be scarred for life. Pansy had gotten the message, and backed off from Draco, but she was obviously still after snagging either Harry or Theo. Seemingly, Pansy hadn't gotten the message that Harry was with Daphne. Although, if she hadn't she had to be blind as the pair were sitting snuggled up together, totally oblivious to Pansy's little games.

Sadly for Theo, that meant Pansy was focusing most of her attention on him. Unfortunately for Pansy, Theo wasn't interested as he knew she was only cosying up to him because he was the Minister's son. Theo was smart enough to know that if Pansy thought she had a shot with either Harry or Draco, she would drop him like a hot potato, and he wasn't interested in that. Instead he was resisting her advances and he would find himself a girl who liked him for who he was, not because of the power his father had in the wizarding world.

By the end of the train journey, Pansy had gone flouncing off as she'd gotten nowhere with any of the boys. But at least that meant the group were free from Pansy as they disembarked from the train and made plans to try and meet up before Christmas. Saying goodbye to their friends, Harry, Hermione and Draco looked around for their parents, but the only person they could see was Narcissa.

"You're all coming back with me," Narcissa explained when Hermione and Harry asked where Beth or Voldemort was.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked nervously.

"It's fine," Narcissa reassured the teenager. "Beth and Lucius are still up at school with Severus, and The Dark Lord has a business meeting. We're all going to have dinner at the manor. And of course I want to hear everything. I want to know just what sort of a Professor Lucius is."

"Why? So we can fuel your depraved fantasies about him?" Draco muttered. He knew his parents too well and he would bet anything that they'd used his father's new position to indulge in a bit of role-playing fun.

Narcissa merely shook her head at her son as she checked everyone had everything. She then whisked the three teenagers off to Malfoy Manor, where she persuaded Harry and Hermione to fill her in on all the gossip before dinner.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

While the dark trio were settling down for dinner at Malfoy Manor, Ron and Ginny found themselves being taken to Grimmauld Place. When they got there, they found a decent portion of the Order was in residence, including the majority of their family. After greeting their family, Ron and Ginny found themselves alone in the library with Sirius and Remus while Molly made a start on dinner.

"How are things going with Neville?" Sirius asked. He hadn't wanted to bring the subject up around Molly as he knew she was still smarting over Augusta Longbottom telling her to get lost and leave her grandson alone.

"Slowly," Ginny admitted. "But we'll get there."

"What do you mean, slowly?" Sirius frowned. "How hard is it to get one boy on your side?"

"Quite hard when he's still friends with Harry and Hermione," Ron grumbled.

"What? He's still friends with them? Even after everything that happened last year?" Sirius questioned in amazement.

"Yep," Ron answered with a disgusted grimace. "He's decided that they haven't done anything to him, so he's staying neutral."

"Maybe he isn't the boy we want then," Sirius mused. "How is he supposed to be our champion when he's friends with the enemy?"

"Just give me some time," Ginny pleaded with the two adults. "Neville may be neutral, but I think I can get him on our side. I just need to take things slowly. If I rush him, we may lose him for good."

"There's no rush at the moment," Remus remarked. "Even if he was on our side now, we're still not ready to face You-Know-Who."

"Are you not having any luck with the Horcruxes?" Ron asked. "Was none of that stuff from the Riddle place useful?"

"We think we've got one from there," Remus replied. "And we've got a lead on another one."

"Yeah, we think it could be in the house somewhere," Sirius supplied as he briefly filled Ron and Ginny in on the situation with the locket.

"Wow," Ginny breathed. "So there's possibly been one under our noses all this time."

"Possibly," Sirius replied. "Not that we're having much luck finding it. Maybe you two could help us over the holidays."

"We'd love to," Ron answered. "Should we get going now?"

"Let's wait until after dinner," Remus said. "I don't think Molly would be impressed if we turned up for dinner covered in dust."

"Probably not," Ron agreed.

"Now, tell me about school," Sirius urged the two teenagers. "What have things been like? I hope those two liars are firmly out in the cold."

"We should be so lucky," Ron snorted as he settled down to tell Sirius all about the injustices at Hogwarts and how Harry and Hermione were walking around as though nothing had happened.

Sirius and Remus were both appalled by what the two Weasleys were telling them, but they were pleased to hear that Ginny thought most people were putting on a front in order to stay safe. They were even more impressed to hear the pair wanted to start their own mini Order in Hogwarts, and they actively encouraged the pair to get it set up as soon as they returned to school.

"The more people you have on our side the better," Remus said. "Just don't get caught."

"That could be our problem," Ginny admitted. "I figure if we're going to work this, we're going to need to have meetings. But where can we meet where we won't risk being caught? We can't just use the common room as Harry and Hermione are still around."

"You could use the shrieking shack," Remus suggested. "The tunnel under the Whomping Willow will get you there, and you're not likely to be disturbed."

"Getting a lot of people through that tunnel might catch someone's attention," Ron pointed out.

"I think I might know somewhere," Sirius said. "Back in school we used to call it the Room of Requirement. It's a magical room that's hidden and it turns into whatever you need from it."

"I'd forgotten about that place," Remus said. "But that could work."

"Where is this room and how do we get into it?" Ron asked eagerly.

Sirius and Remus explained all about the room, including giving the two Weasleys instructions on how to enter the room. However, what they didn't realise was that the room was already been regularly used by Harry and Daphne and Hermione and Draco. It was only a matter of time before their paths now crossed, and when they did, it would not be good for Ginny and Ron. After all, they really were no match for the dark trio of Hermione, Harry and Draco.


	16. Chapter 16

The day before Christmas Eve, Harry was in his room wrapping his Christmas presents. Sitting beside him he also had a list, so he could ensure he'd bought presents for everyone. Aside from the family, he'd bought presents for Draco and his parents, and Daphne. He'd also bought some smaller presents for the Slytherins as he and Hermione were going over to Draco's on Christmas Eve morning to exchange presents and Draco had invited some of his other friends.

With the aid of magic, wrapping the presents wasn't too hard and before long, Harry reached the end of his pile. As he magically tied the bow around the jumper he'd bought for Beth, he checked his list to make sure everyone was accounted for. Satisfied he hadn't missed anyone, Harry then sorted the presents into two piles. One pile was for taking to the manor the following day, while the other pile was to take to his grandfather's for Christmas day. Just as Harry finished stacking his presents, there was a knock on the door and his father poked his head around the slightly open door.

"Is it okay if I come in?" Severus asked.

"Sure," Harry replied. "Come on in."

"The place is looking good," Severus remarked as he took in his son's room. Even though they'd moved into the house over the summer, Harry was still in the process of making the room his own.

"I like it," Harry replied with nod. "Now what can I do for you? I'm not late for dinner or anything, am I?"

"No, dinner's not for another hour," Severus replied with a chuckle as he sat down on Harry's bed. "There's something I want to discuss with you."

"It sounds serious," Harry said warily as he joined his father on the bed. He was just hoping that he wasn't about to get a sex talk now he had a girlfriend.

"It is," Severus confirmed with a nod of his head before he lapsed into awkward silence.

"Then what it is?" Harry pressed, growing increasingly anxious by his father's obvious hesitance to discuss what he came to talk to him about.

"I want to ask you something," Severus said. "And I want you to know that in no way does this affect the feelings I have for your mother. Lily was, and will always be, the love of my life. However, I love Rosmerta very much and I want a future with her."

"I know all this," Harry interrupted. "Isn't this why we moved in with her, so we could all be a family?"

"I guess so," Severus replied. "But I want to make it official. I want to ask you if you would give me your blessing to ask Rosmerta to marry me."

"That's brilliant," Harry declared happily, grinning at his father. "And yes, I give you my blessing. When are you going to do it?"

"As you know you're staying with father after Christmas while Rosmerta and I have a break, I thought I'd do it then," Severus replied, sighing in relief that his son was fine with his decision to propose. "If all goes well, we'll be engaged by New Year."

"I think its excellent news," Harry reassured his father.

"Thank you, Harry," Severus said quietly. "It means a lot to me that you're on board with this."

"So do you have a ring?" Harry questioned.

"I do, but it's locked away where Rosmerta won't find it," Severus answered. "I'll show you after dinner when Rosmerta goes to close the pub."

"Great," Harry replied. "And I hope you've got something good planned for the proposal. Make it so good, she can't say no."

"You think she might say no?" Severus questioned with a frown. To be honest it had never once occurred to him that Rosmerta would turn down his proposal.

"Of course not," Harry laughed. "I just think you need to make it special."

"I'll do that," Severus replied unsurely as he got to his feet. "I'll leave you to finish your wrapping. Don't be late for dinner, and not a word to Rosmerta. I want this to be a surprise."

"My lips are sealed," Harry vowed as his father left his bedroom.

Grinning happily at the thought of his father and Rosmerta getting married, Harry returned to his presents and double checked they were in the right piles. He then placed the two sets of presents in gift bags and put them to one side. Although with the excitement of what he'd just learnt bubbling inside him, Harry was too keyed up to lounge around his room until dinner. Instead he pulled his broom from the cupboard and went for a quick fly before he settled down for an evening in with his father and soon to be stepmother.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Shortly after everyone arrived at Malfoy Manor on Christmas Eve to exchange presents, it began to snow and the teenagers debated if it would be a white Christmas. However, since the snow wasn't the reason for the meeting, people soon forgot about it and focused on the present exchange that was about to happen. Aside from the trio, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Pansy, Vince and Greg were at the manor. Blaise had also brought Luna with him, and she was sitting snuggled up next to Blaise.

As they exchanged presents, the group nibbled on biscuits and juice provided from one of the Malfoy house elves. Most of the gifts were just small tokens, but certain people gave slightly larger presents to particular people. Harry and Hermione had just bought small trinkets for the Slytherins they were just getting to know, while the Slytherins had done the same with the pair. However, Harry had bought Draco a pretty decent present of a signed quidditch book and a new top, while Draco had bought Harry tickets for a match over the summer.

Then came time for couples to exchange gifts. Daphne had bought Harry a new quidditch top, while he'd bought her a silver necklace and a bottle of her favourite perfume. As the couple were lost in thanking each other, Draco and Hermione exchanged gifts. Hermione had bought Draco a new shirt and some aftershave, and he'd bought her an emerald bracelet and a set of books she'd been wanting to try.

"I've also got another present for you upstairs," Draco whispered to his girlfriend as they exchanged gifts.

"Then why didn't you bring it down?" Hermione asked.

"It's sort of personal," Draco replied with a cheeky grin.

"How personal?" Hermione questioned, smirking at her boyfriend.

"Very," Draco answered. "Do you want to see? I'm sure we can find some reason to disappear for a while."

"Okay, I'm dying to see what you've got for me," Hermione replied.

As luck would have it, the opportunity to slip away came fairly quickly. After the exchange of presents the group just settled down to chat, so Draco took hold of Hermione's hand and pulled her towards the door while their friends were busy talking. However, Blaise was on the ball and he spotted the couple trying to sneak away.

"Hey, where are you two going?" He called.

"We'll not be long, I just want to show Hermione something," Draco replied.

"Two guesses what he wants to show her," Theo snorted.

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend as he led Hermione from the room. Knowing they probably wouldn't have much time before their friends decided to come and interrupt them, the couple quickly made their way to Draco's room. When they entered the bedroom, Hermione found a box wrapped in deep purple paper and tied with a bow, sitting on Draco's bed.

"Hmm, now what can this be?" Hermione asked, toying with the ribbon on the box.

"Open it and find out," Draco urged.

"If it's what I think it is, this is more of a present for you rather than me," Hermione said.

"I like to think of it as something we'll both enjoy," Draco retorted. "I may enjoy the visual side of things, but I promise you'll enjoy the effects it'll have on me."

Laughing lightly at her boyfriend, Hermione opened the present to reveal a sleek black box. Pulling the lid off the box, Hermione found a set of lacy red lingerie, edged with white fur. Laughing even more, Hermione pulled the bra and knickers out of the box and held them up in front of her.

"Very festive," She chuckled.

"I thought so," Draco answered. "So do you like?"

"I do, we can have fun with these," Hermione replied. "Only I don't think I should take them home with me. If we leave them here we can use them some time over the holidays. After Boxing day, everyone's going to be busy with preparations for the New Year, so we're bound to be able to get some time together."

"Sounds good to me," Draco answered with a nod. "I'll just keep the box in my wardrobe and hope no-one comes across it."

"Why would anyone come across it?" Hermione asked as she returned the lingerie to the box and Draco slid it onto the top shelf on his wardrobe.

"Who knows?" Draco shrugged. "But it could get embarrassing if I have to explain it. I don't want people thinking I've got a penchant for women's underwear."

"I think if someone found it, they would know it was for me," Hermione pointed out. "Somehow I don't think people's first thoughts will be that you like wearing women's knickers."

"I guess not," Draco laughed. "So should we get back to the others?"

"Not just yet," Hermione answered, smiling at her boyfriend. "I have to thank you for your present."

Draco grinned at Hermione as she pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling her boyfriend down, she connected their lips in a searing kiss. Draco eagerly returned the kiss, slipping his hands down to Hermione's backside and giving it a squeeze. Hermione playfully slapped Draco's hands away from her backside as she pulled away from him.

"Naughty, naughty, I'm supposed to be the one thanking you," Hermione taunted.

"Do you have something more in mind?" Draco questioned, cocking his eyebrow at Hermione.

"I did, but I don't think we have time," Hermione replied with a sly smile. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe next time what?" Draco asked curiously.

Hermione smirked at Draco as she leant in and whispered in his ear, telling him about how she would have thanked him if she'd had time. Draco groaned at the images Hermione put in his head, and he found himself regretting inviting all his friends over. He should have just arranged to exchange presents with Hermione in private.

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione asked innocently as she pulled away from her boyfriend.

"I might need a minute," Draco muttered.

Hermione giggled as her eyes fell to the slight bulge in Draco's trousers. Deciding it wasn't wise to tease her boyfriend too much, she backed off and watched as Draco took a few deep breaths, obviously cleansing himself of the dirty thoughts she'd put in his head. Once Draco felt he was ready to face the others, the couple left Draco's bedroom and headed back down to the front room, where fresh refreshments had been provided.

"That was quick," Blaise remarked when the couple re-entered the room. "You're not one for messing about are you, Draco? It must have been right down to action."

"Shut up Blaise," Draco muttered. "We weren't doing anything like that."

"As if," Theo chuckled. "We all know you snuck off for a quickie."

"We don't do quickies, Theo," Hermione replied in a cool voice. "We like to take our time. Believe me, if that's what we'd snuck away to do, we would still be very busy."

Theo blushed at Hermione's words, and she chuckled as he quickly changed the topic to the snow that was still falling outside. Everyone was quite happy to drop the subject of what Draco and Hermione had been up to, and the rest of the morning was spent chatting about how people were going to be spending Christmas. And of course, talk also turned to New Year's Eve and the party Narcissa was planning on throwing especially for Voldemort and his followers.

"It should be a good night," Draco said when Blaise mentioned the party.

"I've heard The Dark Lord is going to make a speech and outline his plans for the New Year," Theo remarked, glancing at Harry and Hermione in the hopes that they would know more about what Voldemort was up to.

"I'm sure my Father will say a few words," Hermione replied with a casual shrug. "Although, I'm not really sure what plans he could be going to mention. As far as I know, he's very happy with how things are progressing. We now have control of the Ministry and Hogwarts, and the influence of muggles is rapidly diminishing from our world."

"But the Order are still fighting," Harry cautioned his Aunt. Unlike Hermione, who felt that there wouldn't be a break out of violence, Harry suspected otherwise. "Just look at how they tried to get Neville to fill my place in the prophecy. They're still a threat."

"They're a nuisance at best," Hermione snorted. "Yes, they can try and cause trouble, but it will only be a few rebellions here and there. I'm sure Father can deal with the troublemakers when, and if, the need arises."

"Let's hope you're right," Harry said. "But personally, I still think we need to be on guard. Everything is going too well. Things are running just a bit too smoothly for my liking."

"Honestly, Harry, you're just being a worry wart," Hermione laughed. "Nothing is going to go wrong. We're in control and there's nothing the Order or anyone else can do about it."

Harry nodded his head and dropped the subject, but deep down he still felt uneasy. He still felt as though the Order were going to be a danger to them sooner or later. However, what he didn't know was just as he was worrying about the Order, they were celebrating after finding Slytherins locket stuffed in an old box under the floorboards in Regulus's old room. The Order had yet another Horcrux in their hands, and they could still provide the threat Harry was worried about.


	17. Chapter 17

As it always was when parties were been held, Malfoy Manor looked immaculate on New Year's Eve. The expensive Christmas decorations were still in place, but new decorations had been added to make the place seem even more festive. As always, several rooms were locked and out of bounds to the partygoers, but most of the ground floor was free for everyone to roam around. Waiters were also strolling around with drinks and nibbles, but both food and drink were also available in various rooms.

Technically the party was for Voldemort's Death Eaters, but there were a few guests present who didn't actually have the mark, but supported the cause all the same. In fact, a few of them were even expressing an interest in officially joining Voldemort's ranks. The Dark Lord was more than happy to consider initiating fresh blood into his Death Eaters and he spent some time getting to know the people who wanted to join them.

While Voldemort was mingling with the guests, Harry and Hermione had headed off with their friends almost as soon as they arrived. Severus and Rosmerta were also doing the rounds, with Rosmerta flashing her new engagement ring. The pair's engagement had gone down well with the family, although it hadn't come as a surprise as the second the couple left for their break, Harry had told the family everything about his father's plans. However, the wider world were just finding out about the pair's engagement, and they were in high demand as they celebrated their engagement.

With all her family otherwise occupied, Beth found herself alone sipping on a glass of champagne. Not that she minded having a moment's peace as she knew she would spend most of the evening at her husband's side, mingling with the guests and keeping people sweet. Sadly, Beth's quiet moment was interrupted by someone coming up behind her.

"Such a shame," The voice cooed.

"What's a shame, Bella?" Beth asked in an icy voice. She would have loved it if Bellatrix hadn't been invited, but she was Narcissa's sister and one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, so it would have been awkward not to invite her.

"The Dark Lord," Bellatrix replied with a smirk as she sipped on a glass of red wine. "If we can still call him that of course."

"Just what are you on about, Bella?" Beth snapped.

"Well, he's not very dark these days, is he?" Bellatrix sneered. "Time was, he would have grasped power by force. There would be none of this pussyfooting around, bringing in stupid new laws for mudbloods and their kin. He would have just wiped the lot of them off the face of the earth."

"People grow up, Bella," Beth replied. "He's no longer blinded by his need for power. He can see there's a different way to do things. Gaining power does not need to be done by force."

"It's just not the same, though," Bellatrix replied with a dramatic sigh. "The Dark Lord of old wouldn't want things done this way. He wanted people to fear him. There used to be a time when people trembled at the mere mention of his name."

"And they still do," Beth pointed out sharply. "Very few of the Order have the courage to say his name. And even you're frightened of him. You may say this stuff to me, but you wouldn't dare say any of this to my husband's face."

"I wouldn't, but not because I'm scared," Bellatrix replied. "I wouldn't say this to The Dark Lord because I respect him, and I think the man I used to know is still in there. I think the fearsome Dark Lord we all vowed to serve all those years ago, still exists. He just needs a chance to come out."

"You think he's hiding his true self?" Beth questioned with an amused chuckle. Her husband wasn't the hiding type, and she knew he wouldn't put on a front for anyone.

"No, I think you and your brat of a daughter are burying it," Bellatrix spat nastily. "You're a drain on him, Beth. The Dark Lord isn't a family man, he's a dark wizard meant to take control of our world. You and your daughter are stopping him from achieving his destiny."

Whirling round to face Bellatrix, Beth pushed the witch against a nearby wall and gave her a deadly glare. "You know nothing about my husband, so just keep your nose out of things that don't concern you," She hissed angrily. "This is your final warning, Bella. Annoy me again, and I'll take you out."

"The Dark Lord wouldn't let you," Bellatrix replied with a smug smirk. She'd been getting under Beth's skin since the moment they'd been introduced to one another and she reckoned if Voldemort would let Beth take her out than she would have already done it.

"I don't need permission, Bella," Beth vowed in a low voice. "I've kept my temper out of respect for Narcissa. It is not my husband keeping you alive, it's my friendship with your sister. But this is the final straw, trouble me or any of my family again and you're dead. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Bellatrix spat.

"Good." Stepping back from Bellatrix, Beth gave her a sickly sweet smile. "Now run along and have a good time, Bella. Enjoy the New Year, it just might be your last."

Turning on her heel, Beth strode away from Bellatrix and headed into the gardens to grab some fresh air. Her altercation with Bellatrix had left her shaken, and she was wondering just how many of Voldemort's Death Eaters had thoughts just like Bellatrix. Just how many of them thought that The Dark Lord had lost his edge? How many of them blamed her and Hermione for turning him into a family man?

Of course Beth knew that Voldemort's change of tactics in recent years had nothing to do with the fact he had children. If Bellatrix had really thought about her claims she would have realised that Voldemort was already a father all those years ago when he was trying to gain power by force. Even when he was married to Beth and they had Hermione, his main weapon in the war against the light was brute force. Things only changed when Dumbledore wounded him, rendering him weak and ineffective for so many years. Not that Bellatrix was around to see that, and the effect it had on Voldemort.

Beth knew the years her husband was weak and had so little magic, changed his priorities. He got to experience first-hand just what he had to lose if things went wrong for him. He'd been lucky in the fact his Horcruxes had saved his life, but things could have easily been so different and he could have lost his life. Being stuck in such a weakened state gave him a chance to re-evaluate and long before he regained his powers, he'd confessed to Beth that he feared he'd been going about things all wrong.

As Voldemort had realised, gaining power by force wasn't going to work in the long term. By being so brutal about things, it meant he would always have enemies trying to bring him down. However, by using manipulation to gain power, it meant a lot of people who would have opposed him had he used force, were a lot less reluctant to fight against him. After all, it was a lot harder to say he was a tyrant without all the death and destruction that had accompanied the first war. As things stood, people were more reluctant to fight against Voldemort and his regime as it didn't seem to be hurting anyone.

Not that Bellatrix knew any of this as she'd been in Azkaban for so long. Although, Beth doubted if she would have appreciated the new way of thinking anyway. Bellatrix had always been one for violence and the subtlety of life was lost on her. She'd never seemed to realise that there was more to life than getting everything you wanted. Beth wasn't sure if Bellatrix's attitude was down to the fact her own marriage was nothing more than an arranged union between two purebloods. Maybe if she actually had a husband who loved her, she would understand why things couldn't be done the old way. But maybe not, maybe she was just a violent person and couldn't understand doing things subtly. Either way, Beth wasn't going to give her a second thought, and she certainly wasn't going to let her ruin her evening.

Taking a few more breaths of the cool evening air, Beth threw back her shoulders and marched back into the party. Quickly finding her husband, she sidled up to him and slipped her arm through his. She then remained at her husband's side as they mingled with their friends and talked about the year to come.

Shortly before midnight, Lucius gathered everyone in the main ballroom so that Voldemort could give a speech. Even the youngsters had been rounded up, and Beth smiled at the sight of Hermione and Harry with their respective partners. Every time she'd seen Hermione over the course of the evening she'd been with Draco, and the pair looked very much like two teenagers in love. Harry and Daphne weren't quite as serious as that, but they both wore identical smitten smiles when they looked at one another. Turning her attention away from Hermione and Harry, Beth focused on her husband as he rose to give a brief speech.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight," Voldemort began. "You've all been invaluable to me over the last few years. I know this probably isn't how a lot of you imagined things going in our quest to cleanse the wizarding world. However, we are making progress, and by doing things this way we've eliminated a lot of our potential detractors. No longer do we have to fight for what we want, no longer do we have to worry about being killed in battle and leaving our families behind. That's not to say we can't use violence when the need arises, but for now, we're getting so much done without it. Let's rejoice in the power we're gaining. And let's look forward to the year ahead bringing us even greater power. We will be victorious, and we will live in a world without muggleborns tainting it."

Voldemort's speech ended moments before midnight, and the cheers had only just died down when the countdown to New Year began. As the clock struck midnight and people exchanged well wishes, Bellatrix stood glowering in the corner as she watched The Dark Lord and his wife. She truly believed that Beth had ruined Voldemort's potential, and she was determined to put that right. There and then she vowed this would be the year when she would return The Dark Lord to his old self, and she would be the witch by his side by the end of it.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Returning to school wasn't something Ron was looking forward to, and he arrived on Platform Nine and Three Quarters in a dark mood. Of course he hadn't been overly thrilled to return to Hogwarts at the start of the year, but it seemed even worse this time. Maybe it was because he now knew that Harry and Hermione would still be hanging around Gryffindor Tower. At least the beginning of the year he'd had the hope that he wouldn't have to put up with the pair of them, but that hope had quickly been shattered. Now he knew he was returning to school where he had to share dorms with Harry, and pretty much everyone thought he was the trouble maker for speaking out about the deceitful duo.

Then there was the fact that Ron thought he would be more use back with the Order. Over the holidays they'd found the locket Regulus had hidden, taking their Horcrux count up to two with one already destroyed. Ron had also helped Remus with some research, and it looked as though the former Professor was hot on the heels of a house owned by Voldemort's wife. Ron would love to be there when they checked the house out, but instead he had to return to school.

"The pair of you need to get on the train before you miss it," Molly called, pulling Ron out of his thoughts.

"That wouldn't be a bad thing," Ron grumbled as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

"Don't start this again, Ron," Molly ordered in a stern voice. "I've already told you, you're not leaving school."

"I don't know why not," Ron protested, trying again to get his mother to see sense. "It's not really safe at the school. We've got three bloody Death Eaters on the staff."

"And you've also got the likes of Professor McGonagall looking out for you," Molly argued. "Besides, pulling you out of Hogwarts is just what they want. Don't give them what they want, Ron. Stay strong and keep fighting."

"Come on, we're going to be late," Ginny said softly.

"Okay," Ron conceded with a sigh. "But keep us up to date with any progress," He ordered his mother.

"I will," Molly vowed as she kissed her two children and ushered them onto the train.

Ron and Ginny stood by the window as the train began to pull out of the station and their mother disappeared from sight. Once the train was on its way out of the station, they turned to each other.

"We can look for the room Sirius mentioned tomorrow," Ginny suggested in a quiet voice. They were returning to Hogwarts on a Saturday, so they'd have an entire day free before their lessons started again.

"And until then, I'm still mad at you," Ron said. They'd already decided that it would be easier to keep up the pretence that Ron was disgusted with his sister's acceptance of Harry and Hermione.

"Yup," Ginny agreed. "But remember, no more antagonising Neville. I'll get him on side when it's time, but don't make things any more difficult between the pair of you."

"I won't," Ron promised. "In fact, I'm going to see if there's room with him, Dean and Seamus. Don't worry, I won't try and convert him to our side. It'll just be easier if he believes I'm not mad at him anymore."

"Good luck," Ginny called as the pair headed in opposite directions.

Halfway down the carriage, Ron passed the compartment where Harry and Hermione were sitting with the Slytherins. The door was open as Theo Nott entered the compartment, and he saw enough to see his former friends all over their new partners. As if it wasn't bad enough that Hermione had been secretly dating Malfoy for years, Harry had then gone and gotten involved with another Slytherin in the form of Daphne Greengrass. Just seeing the two couples together was enough to remind Ron that for five years the pair had taken him for a complete and utter fool.

"Not anymore," Ron muttered to himself as he passed by the compartment and found the one with the other Gryffindors.

He was determined that the Order were going to wipe Voldemort and his family out, and he was going to play a part. For five years he'd been played for a fool, but no more. He vowed to himself that he was going to be the one who got the last laugh. He was going to make Harry and Hermione pay for using him and his family. They were going to regret their actions, Ron was going to make sure of that before the year was out.


	18. Chapter 18

Using the information they'd gotten from Sirius, Ron and Ginny snuck away on the Sunday afternoon to go looking for the secret room they'd been told about. Now Ron was no longer friends with Harry and Hermione, he didn't really have anyone to miss him as he disappeared from Gryffindor Tower, while Ginny also didn't have the type of friends that would wonder where she was. It meant the pair got away from Gryffindor Tower easily, although they did it separately as they were still giving everyone the impression they were still fighting.

"Where now?" Ron asked as the pair met up around the corner to Gryffindor Tower. "Which floor did Sirius say we would find the room?"

"He wasn't sure," Ginny confessed. "All he could remember was that it was on one of the higher floors."

"What did Remus say?" Ron questioned, not being able to remember much himself. "He's not as forgetful as Sirius. His information will be more accurate."

"He can vaguely remember the room, but he didn't use it much," Ginny replied. "However, Sirius used to use it for privacy with girls. Remus wasn't exactly a heartbreaker in school."

"I suppose being a werewolf puts a dampener on your love life," Ron mused.

"I don't know, it doesn't seem to be bothering Tonks," Ginny answered with a chuckle. "She seems quite into Remus."

"It won't work," Ron dismissed with a wave of her hand. "They're too different, and the age gap is massive."

"It's not that big of a gap," Ginny argued.

"Focus, Ginny," Ron snapped at his little sister. "We're not here to discuss the love lives of other people. Let's get searching for this secret room."

"Okay so we're looking for a bare patch of wall in a deserted corridor, opposite some sort of large tapestry," Ginny said, focusing on the task in hand.

With an idea of what they were looking for, the Weasleys set out to find the secret room. As it turned out, it only took them fifteen minutes to locate what they thought was the correct area of the castle. As Sirius had described, they found a deserted corridor with a large patch of blank wall opposite a large, colourful tapestry.

"What now?" Ron asked.

"We pace in front of the wall, thinking about what we want from the room," Ginny answered. "Once we've done that three times, a door should appear and we should get what we want."

"Do you want to do the honours?" Ron asked his sister.

"Okay, but you keep watch," Ginny replied. "We don't want the entire school finding out about the room."

Ron moved away from Ginny to keep watch, while his sister tried to summon the secret room. However, Ginny had barely paced the floor in front of the wall once when Ron heard footsteps and voices approaching the corridor where they were. Running back to his sister, he warned Ginny of the approaching disturbance and the pair managed to duck into an alcove at the end of the corridor just in time to see Harry come strolling into the corridor with Daphne on his arm.

"What are they doing here?" Ginny hissed to her brother.

"The same as us from the looks of things," Ron muttered in response as Harry began pacing the floor like Ginny had just been doing.

"How do they know about the room?" Ginny questioned. "You don't think Sirius told him, do you?"

"Nah, I think Sirius just remembered the room," Ron replied, watching the action as a wooden door appeared in the middle of the blank wall. "They obviously found out about it another way."

"I wonder how," Ginny mused.

Ron quietly shushed his sister as his interest was grabbed by Harry trying to open the door to the secret room. However, it looked like the door wouldn't budge, no matter how much Harry pulled on it. Ron smirked at Harry's inability to open the door, but the smile was wiped off his face when the door suddenly sprung open and Hermione appeared from the room. Ron and Ginny watched as the pair had a brief exchange of words, before Hermione went back into the room and shut the door, causing it to disappear. Harry and Daphne shared a shrug as they turned and disappeared the way they'd come.

"Great, not only Harry knows about the place, but Hermione does as well," Ron grumbled. "Just great. This room won't be any good for us to use."

"How long do you think they've known about the room?" Ginny asked thoughtfully.

"Does it matter?" Ron questioned with a shrug.

"This could be the answer as to how the Death Eaters got into school last year," Ginny pointed out.

"Ginny, it's a room on one of the top floors of the castle, not a secret passageway," Ron protested with a snort. "This is probably just the room Harry and Hermione used to meet up with Malfoy in secret. Now they're older, Hermione and Malfoy are just using the room to shag in."

"What a lovely picture you paint, Ron," Ginny muttered. "I still think it's worth checking out though. If we're careful about what we wish for, we can see the room they've been using the most."

"It's worth a try, I suppose," Ron conceded. "But I think we need to wait until the room is empty. It looks like it can only be used as one room at a time."

"We'll just have to stay here until Hermione and Malfoy leave," Ginny replied.

It was nearly an hour later before Hermione and Draco emerged from the room, and when they did, Ginny and Ron were forced to watch the pair exchange several kisses before they exited the corridor. Ron and Ginny waited until they were sure no-one was coming back, before sneaking out of the alcove and once again trying to gain access to the secret room. However, instead of trying to get a room where they could meet with fellow minded people wanting to get rid of the dark, Ginny tried to get the room where Harry, Hermione and Draco had spent the most time together.

"Well, this is it," Ginny announced as a door appeared in the wall.

"Let's see what's inside," Ron said, pulling open the door.

When the pair stepped inside the room they were shocked to find themselves in some sort of storage cupboard. Exchanging baffled looks, the two siblings set about exploring the room. Ten minutes later all they'd found was pile of junk, some of it seemingly left in the room decades ago.

"This can't be right," Ron moaned for the tenth time. "Why would they meet up in a junk room like this? There's not even anywhere to sit."

"Makes no sense to me," Ginny replied as she scanned a bookshelf, stuffed full of various bits and bobs. "Wow, look at this," She gasped as she pulled a silver tiara off the shelf and placed it on her head.

"Stop messing about Ginny," Ron tutted at his sister.

"But this must be worth a fortune," Ginny said, taking the tiara off her head and polishing it with her top.

"It doesn't matter, it's not ours," Ron said, snatching the tiara off his sister and placing it back on the shelf. "And this is pointless. I don't know what they've been doing in this room, but we're never going to work it out."

"Maybe there's another room they've been using," Ginny mused. "I might not have gotten the right room."

"We can always try another time," Ron replied. "But right now, it's nearly dinner time and I'm hungry."

"We'll come back another time," Ginny agreed. "And I think if we're going to start our own Order, we need somewhere different to meet."

"Yeah, we can't risk using this place," Ron said as they took a final look around and exited the room, unaware a figure had witnessed them leaving the corridor.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After getting back to Hogwarts, Harry was eager to spend some time with Daphne. Even though they'd seen each other over Christmas, they hadn't had any time alone. So after lunch on Sunday, he'd suggested that the pair spent the afternoon together. After taking a walk around the grounds, the pair had returned to the castle and Harry had suggested they use the magical room to summon a warm fire and snuggle up beside it. Daphne had been up for the idea, and the pair had set off, planning on spending the afternoon in front of a roaring fire.

Sadly, they'd been too late and when they arrived at the room, they found it already occupied. Harry hadn't been too impressed that Hermione and Draco were using the room, but his aunt had refused to leave the room. In the end, Harry and Daphne had ended up in the secret room in the library.

After spending the afternoon with Daphne, Harry had headed back up to the secret room to see if his aunt and best friend were still in residence. He entered the corridor just in time to see the door open, but when it wasn't Hermione and Draco exiting the room, he darted into an alcove to avoid being seen. From the alcove he watched as Ron and Ginny exited the room and hurried away with their heads together.

"Sly buggers," Harry muttered. Clearly the pair's falling out had all been an act, and just like he'd suspected, Ginny had being trying to play him all along. "But what are they doing in the room?"

Puzzled by the fact, Ron and Ginny had been in their secret room, Harry emerged from the alcove and lost in thought, he headed off to grab some dinner. Harry sat down beside Hermione in the Great Hall, and as they ate he quietly told her what he'd witnessed.

"How long have they known about the room?" Hermione hissed.

"I have no idea," Harry replied. "Have you ever seen them near it?"

"Nope," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "And they've never tried to get in while Draco and I were using the room. It could be a fairly recent development."

"Maybe they found something out over the holidays," Harry suggested, glancing down the table to where the pair were sitting separately and ignoring each other. "And all that's an act. They were as thick as thieves when I saw them."

"Maybe you were right," Hermione conceded. "Maybe we've been underestimating the Order, and they are going to be a threat. We need to know what they were doing in our room."

"I can follow them with the invisibility cloak," Harry suggested.

"Good idea," Hermione replied. "But I want to talk to Mum as well. We need to know if there's anything they could be doing that could prove dangerous to us."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances."

Harry fully agreed with his aunt, and the second they finished eating they headed down to the dungeons to Beth's office. Fortunately, Beth was in her office going over work for the upcoming week when the pair entered the room.

"Is everything okay?" Beth asked in concern. It was very rare for Hermione and Harry to pay her a visit at school, but it was especially weird considering they'd only just returned from the Christmas break.

"Not really," Harry answered as he and Hermione sat down and he explained what he'd just seen.

"And you have no idea how long they've known about the room, or what they were up to in it?" Beth double checked.

"Not a clue on either," Harry replied. "Should we be worried?"

"I'm not sure worried is the right word, but I certainly don't like it," Beth admitted. "Especially given what is in the room."

"What is in the room?" Hermione asked.

"One of your father's Horcruxes," Beth answered. "He pointed it out to me last year. He was rather surprised to see it to be honest. He knew it was somewhere in the room, but it's so big and holds so much junk, he didn't expect to see it again."

"Should we move the Horcrux?" Harry asked. "The Order don't know about them, but why risk it. Let's move it and get it back to Grandpa."

"I think that is a very good idea," Beth replied with a nod. "If you bring it to me, I can get it back home easily enough."

"We can do it now," Hermione offered as she jumped to her feet.

"Hermione, aren't you forgetting something?" Beth called after her daughter in amusement.

"What?" Hermione frowned.

"We don't know what we're looking for," Harry pointed out with a chuckle.

"Right," Hermione said sheepishly. "So what are we looking for?"

"A diadem," Beth answered. "It's silver and it once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw."

"A diadem, that's like a tiara, isn't it?" Harry checked.

"It is indeed," Beth confirmed.

"Like the tiara Hermione was throwing around the place when we found the cabinet," Harry taunted, grinning teasingly at his aunt.

"I didn't know what it was, did I?" Hermione shot back. "If I'd known what it was, I would have been more careful with it."

"So you've seen it?" Beth checked.

"We haven't only seen it, but we know exactly where it is," Harry replied with a grin. "We can be back with it in under ten minutes."

"Good, go and get it and bring it to me," Beth ordered. "And try and work out what the Weasleys are up to. I don't like surprises, and something tells me they're up to something. More than likely something to do with the Order. Let's not give the Order a chance to strike at us. Keep your eye on the pair, and if necessary, call in back-up of the adult variety. If they're going to be a threat, we'll get rid of them."

"I like that idea, a Weasley free Hogwarts," Hermione replied with a wicked smirk.

"It might well come to that," Beth said.

Grinning at the possibility that they could be getting rid of the Weasleys for good, Harry and Hermione headed off to grab the diadem for Beth. As predicated, it took then under ten minutes to head up to the room, grab the diadem and return to the dungeons. The pair then left Beth to get it safely back to Voldemort, while they headed off to discuss the best way to keep tabs on the two Weasleys. Whatever the pair were planning, they weren't going to succeed, not if Harry and Hermione had anything to do with it.


	19. Chapter 19

Harry was bored, very bored. He'd been following Ron and Ginny for two weeks now, and nothing interesting had happened with the two siblings. In fact, in that time Harry had only seen them talking a few times. For the time being the pair seemed busy with their own separate lives. Harry had debated giving up, but he was sure something was going on with the pair.

When Harry hadn't been able to watch the pair, Hermione and Draco had helped with the surveillance. However, at the moment Hermione and Draco were busy studying, while Harry was lurking around in another part of the library, watching Ginny as she finished a History of Magic essay. Harry's interest in watching Ginny was severely waning and he was contemplating giving up for the evening when suddenly the redhead gasped out loud and pulled the book she was reading off the table and stuck her nose in it.

"I don't believe it," She gasped.

Harry watched in bemusement as Ginny suddenly threw all her things into her bag, including her unfinished homework, jumped to her feet and practically ran out of the library. Luckily, Harry was already wearing the invisibility cloak so it was easy enough for him to follow after her without being seen. Once out of the library, Ginny went straight back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry half expected her to approach Ron, but from what he saw, she just passed through the common room and headed up to the girls dorms without acknowledging her brother.

"Bugger," Harry muttered to himself as he snuck back out of Gryffindor Tower and removed the invisibility cloak.

He'd been sure something was going to happen, but he'd been wrong. Obviously, whatever had gotten Ginny all excited in the library had nothing to do with what she was planning with her brother. Still wanting to keep an eye on the pair, Harry stuffed the invisibility cloak into his bag and entered the common room. Settling down next to the fire, he kept an eye on Ron and the stairs leading to the girls dorms so he would know when Ginny returned.

Unfortunately for Harry, there was no action for a while as Ron sat quietly flicking through a quidditch magazine while there was no sign of Ginny. Finally, Ron got up, but he didn't head out of the common room, he headed up to the boys dorms. Knowing they would only get into a row if he headed upstairs, Harry remained where he was, keeping an eye out for Ginny.

However, what he didn't realise was that Ginny was also up in the boys dorms with her brother. In the brief moments Harry had been out of the room removing his invisibility cloak, Ginny had slipped from the girls dorms and headed into the boys dorms without been seen by anyone.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"What took you so long?" Ginny demanded the second Ron entered the boys' dorm.

Since they were keeping up the act of not speaking, they'd develop subtle signals for when they wanted to talk to each other, and upon entering the common room, Ginny had indicated to Ron to meet her in his dorms. However, by her reckoning she'd been waiting for nearly ten minutes for her brother to show up.

"I couldn't just get up and leave," Ron pointed out. "If we keep leaving rooms together, people are going to put two and two together. What's so urgent anyway, I thought we were going to wait until the weekend to try the room again."

"I found something while doing my homework," Ginny answered as she reached into her bag and pulled a thick book out of it. Flicking through the book, she opened it at the page she'd spotted in the library and showed it to her brother. "I'm doing an essay about the Hogwarts founders and I saw this."

"What's so special about this?" Ron asked with a frown. From what he could see, his sister was showing him a page about the traits of Rowena Ravenclaw, and what sort of students she used to teach.

"Look at the picture," Ginny said, pointing to a small oval picture of Rowena Ravenclaw at the bottom of the page.

"I'm looking and I still don't see anything," Ron replied as he squinted at the picture to see what had caught his sister's attention.

"The tiara on her head," Ginny said. "Look at it Ron."

"Very nice," Ron said with a shrug.

"Does it not look familiar?"

"Funnily enough, no," Ron snorted. "I've never paid any attention to Ravenclaw's preferred headwear before."

"It's the tiara from the junk room," Ginny excitedly told her brother.

"And?" Ron threw the book down on his bed, not getting the significance of Ginny's discovery.

"And remember the ideas for Horcruxes," Ginny prodded. "Dumbledore thought You-Know-Who used things belonging to the founders."

"And he also thought one might be hidden here at Hogwarts," Ron added, finally understanding what Ginny was getting at.

Ginny grinned at her brother, pleased he'd managed to engage his brain and get what she was trying to say. "Precisely. And we might just have found it."

"Do you think that's what they've been doing in the room, trying to find the Horcrux?"

"Could be. Or might just be a coincidence. After all, Harry and the dark don't know that we know about the Horcruxes. There's no reason for them to be looking for it. As far as they're concerned, it's safe."

"Not for long," Ron said with a wicked grin. "I say we go and get it. If we're right, we need to get it back to the Order as quickly as possible. Sirius said they were expecting a delivery of Basilisk fangs and venom later this month."

"After dinner, we'll sneak away and find it," Ginny said as she shoved the book back into her bag. "Meet you outside of the room at eight."

With that, Ginny slipped out of the boys' dorms and carefully made her way back to her own rooms without being spotted. She then changed and freshened up, before heading downstairs to join her friends for a bit before dinner.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Do you want me to watch the Weasels tonight?" Hermione whispered to Harry over dinner.

Even though she and Draco had been helping out with Harry's surveillance, her nephew had still taken on the bulk of the work. In one way, Hermione was pleased as it gave her time to spend with Draco, but she felt bad that Harry was losing his free time. She doubted he even had time to say more than a quick hello to Daphne over the last couple of weeks.

"I can handle it tonight," Harry replied. "But maybe you can take them tomorrow night. I promised Daph we could do something. I've been a bit neglectful lately."

"Of course I'll help out, and I'm sure Daphne understands," Hermione said.

"She does," Harry confirmed with a smile. "That's because she's amazing."

"Aww, someone's smitten," Hermione teased.

Harry rolled his eyes at his aunt, but he didn't bother to contradict her. He was pretty smitten with Daphne, and while it was still early days in their relationship and they were still getting to know one another, he had high hopes they could have a real future together.

For the rest of dinner, Harry and Hermione just chatted about school while Harry considered what he could do with Daphne the following day. He did feel bad about neglecting his girlfriend, and he wanted to make it up to her.

"There goes Ginny," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a nudge as Ginny stood up further along the table. "Are you taking her or Ron tonight?"

"Ginny," Harry replied. "I reckon she's more dangerous. Ron's open in his hostility, but she hides it well. If I wasn't such a suspicious person, I would have believed her act."

"She's certainly got most people fooled," Hermione conceded as her nephew got up and loudly told Hermione he was off to study.

"Catch you later," Hermione called, waving casually to her nephew as he strolled out of the Great Hall.

The second Harry was out of the Great Hall, he slipped into the shadows and pulled on his invisibility cloak. He then pulled out the map he'd gotten from Sirius and used it to locate Ginny. Taking a shortcut he caught up to Ginny on the third floor and followed her as she headed to the secret room.

"Got you," He whispered to himself as he followed her into the corridor where the room was located.

Deciding he wanted to slip inside the room with Ginny, to find out what she was using it for, Harry got as close to her as he dared. However, instead of making a move to enter the room, she just stood leaning against the wall. It wasn't until he heard footsteps and Ron entered the corridor that he realised she'd been waiting for her brother. Either they'd spoken at some point and he hadn't seen, which was a possibility as he couldn't watch the pair twenty four hours a day, or the meeting had been pre-arranged.

"Let's get on with this," Ron announced, shooting his sister a grin. "We're going to be such heroes, Gin."

"If we're right," Ginny replied. "Step back while I summon the room."

While Ron stepped back to give his sister space, Harry made sure he was close enough to where the door would appear so he could sneak in with the pair. He was hoping to get some sort of clue as to what the pair wanted from the room as Ginny summoned it, but she did her thinking in her head. Even when the door appeared in the middle of the wall, he didn't know what sort of room they'd summoned as the door was always the same.

"This is it," Ginny declared as she yanked the door open.

Harry managed to slide into the room in between Ginny and Ron, and he very almost skidded to a stunned stop as he found himself in the junk room where the vanishing cabinet was still located. Luckily, he still had his wits about him and he sidestepped out of the way before Ron stepped into the room.

"Right, let's get to it," Ron said, pulling the door shut behind him.

Harry wanted to reveal himself and stun the pair where they stood, but he was curious as to what they were up to. As eager as he was to confront the pair, he controlled his violent urges and followed behind them as they prowled through the room. It soon became clear they were looking for something, and it was also clear they had a rough idea where they wanted to be searching as they weren't looking everywhere.

"There it is," Ginny suddenly declared.

Harry frowned as he suddenly recognised the bookshelf the redheaded witch was pointing to. It was the bookshelf that stood in front of the vanishing cabinet, and more importantly it was the shelf where the diadem had sat until just a few weeks ago.

"Let's get it and get out of here," Ron said as he looked around the room and shivered. "It feels like someone's watching us."

"No-one's watching us," Ginny chuckled as she searched the bookshelves. Harry watched as she searched for a few more minutes before turning to her brother with a frown. "It's gone."

"What do you mean, it's gone?" Ron asked. "It has to be there."

"I'm telling you, it's not here," Ginny said. "It's missing."

"Shit, they've taken it," Ron swore. "They know we're onto the Horcruxes. We have to warn the Order, they need to destroy the ones they've got as soon as possible."

Harry was gobsmacked by what he was witnessing, and his mind was working overtime to figure out how they knew about his grandfather's Horcruxes. All he could think of was that Dumbledore had confided in someone else, but the headmaster had been pretty adamant that Harry was the only person he'd ever shared his theory with. Either Dumbledore had lied to him, or else the information had come from somewhere else.

As the Weasleys checked the shelf another time, Harry's fingers curled around the wand in his pocket. He'd actually pulled the wood from his pocket and had it pointed at Ron's back before he reconsidered. As much as he would love to do some damage to the pair, it really wasn't wise. The Weasleys would go ballistic if anything happened to their precious Ron and Ginny while they were at Hogwarts. While Harry wasn't bothered about the Weasleys and their reaction, he did realise it could reflect badly on his father and Nott's regime. If children of people known to oppose Voldemort were injured in Hogwarts, it could be just the ammunition the Order needed to gather some supporters.

Reluctantly, Harry slipped his wand back into his pocket and he remained where he was as Ginny and Ron left the room, still worrying about the missing Horcrux. Harry waited until he was sure the pair had gone before pulling off his cloak. Pulling his wand back out of his pocket, he let out a cry of rage as he aimed a spell at a nearby vase, causing it to shatter into millions of pieces.

Regaining control, Harry took a few deep breaths before shoving the invisibility cloak into his pocket and stalking out of the room. Knowing Hermione and Draco were planning on studying in the library, he headed down to find them. When he did find them the pair were in the secret room, but all they were studying were each other as they were lying on the sofa, half dressed and groping each other.

"Harry," Hermione hissed in annoyance as she pulled her open shirt shut.

"Sorry, but this is an emergency," Harry said impatiently. "We've got trouble."

"The Weasels," Draco guessed as he and Hermione sat up and straightened their clothes.

"And the Order," Harry said. "We need to go and speak to someone now. In fact, Hermione go and get Beth and Draco go and get Lucius. Bring them to Dad's office and I'll fill you in."

"It's not good, is it?" Hermione questioned with a sigh.

"No, it's not good," Harry said sombrely as the trio left the room and headed off to get the adults.

Harry had been lucky enough to find out what the Order were up to, but what he'd found out wasn't good. The Order were a bigger threat than anyone of them had thought, and he knew his grandfather would want to act sooner rather than later. It was time to strike and get rid of the threat the Order represented.


	20. Chapter 20

Settled in his private living quarters, attached to the headmaster's office, Severus was curled up on the sofa in front of the fire with Rosmerta. The pair were discussing their engagement, and when they could possibly get married.

"How about a beach wedding over the summer," Rosmerta suggested with a sly smile.

"I am not a beach person," Severus replied, knowing his fiancée was merely winding him up with the idea of getting married on a beach.

"You are a bit pasty without your clothes on," Rosmerta agreed.

"Complaining, are you?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow at his lover.

"What can I say, I'm not that fussed by an all over tan," Rosmerta replied cheekily.

"We could always try and get one on honeymoon if we go somewhere private," Severus said.

"I thought you weren't a beach person," Rosmerta chuckled.

"I'm not, but I might make an exception if it was just the two of us on some private beach," Severus replied.

"That actually sounds rather appealing," Rosmerta said with a smile. "I can just imagine the fun we can have on a private beach with no clothes on."

"Me too," Severus replied with a grin, before swooping down and connecting his lips with his fiancée's.

Just as Severus slipped his hand under Rosmerta's skirt, there was a knock on the door that led from his office. Severus knew whoever was knocking had gained access to his office first, which meant it was either a member of staff with a problem, or it was Harry or Hermione. Knowing he couldn't ignore it, no matter who it was, Severus reluctantly broke away from his fiancée and went to answer the door. When he did open the door, Harry came barrelling into the room at top speed.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry said, quickly taking in Rosmerta's slightly dishevelled clothing and averting his eyes. "We've got a problem."

"Could this not have waited until tomorrow?" Severus asked his son.

"No, this is urgent," Harry replied. "Draco's gone to get Lucius, and Hermione is fetching Beth. We should also call Grandpa. He needs to hear this."

"I think that's my cue to leave," Rosmerta announced as she got to her feet.

"You don't have to go," Severus said. "You're family now, you can stay."

"I hope you won't be offended if I say I would rather leave," Rosmerta replied. "I don't have a problem with anything your family does, but I don't think I'm ready to be involved in anything untoward. Besides, I should go and check on the pub before closing."

"I'll come and see you later," Severus promised his fiancée as he pulled her into his arms to say a proper goodbye.

Harry averted his eyes from the sight of his father in a heated embrace with Rosmerta. Even though he was happy for the couple, he didn't need to see them snogging like teenagers. Luckily, it was just a brief goodbye and Rosmerta flooed back to the pub, leaving Harry and Severus alone.

"What's going on?" Severus asked as he connected the floo to his father's house.

"It'll be easier if I wait until everyone's here," Harry replied. "That way I'm not repeating myself."

Fortunately, it didn't take long for everyone to arrive. Draco and Lucius arrived moments before Beth and Hermione, and they'd no sooner arrived than the fire lit up and Voldemort emerged. Surprisingly, Voldemort wasn't the only external visitor as he was followed by Narcissa. Voldemort quickly explained that he'd been having a drink with Narcissa at the time of Severus's call, and since she was one of his most trusted friends, he thought it only right that she should be involved with whatever was going on.

"So what is going on, Harry?" Hermione asked, eager to get going now everyone had arrived.

"I followed Ginny and Ron back to the room after dinner," Harry began. "They went into the junk room, where the vanishing cabinet is."

"They were looking for the cabinet?" Lucius asked.

"Worse, they were looking for the diadem," Harry supplied. "The Order know about the Horcruxes and it even sounded as though they had a couple in their possession."

"That's impossible," Severus muttered. "You said yourself, Harry, Dumbledore hadn't mentioned them to anyone but you."

"He clearly lied to me," Harry replied with a snarl. Even though he'd been playing Dumbledore, it annoyed him to learn the old man had deceived him. "I don't know how they know, but the Order know about the Horcruxes. Ron and Ginny were heading off to send a letter to the Order to let them know they needed to destroy the ones they had in their possession."

While Harry was explaining about his discoveries, Voldemort's mind had turned to Mundungus Fletcher. After deciding to get the petty thief on side, he'd set Ezra Greengrass onto it. For the last few months, Ezra had been passing information he'd received from Mundungus, and never once had Horcruxes been mentioned. Either Mundungus was holding out on them, or else he hadn't been involved in the Order's quest to destroy his Horcruxes. Although, given the fact he already knew Mundungus wasn't particular trusted by the Order, Voldemort was leaning towards the latter. Chances were the wizard was telling Ezra everything he knew, he just didn't know something as important as the Order discovering he had Horcruxes.

"How many could they possibly have?" Narcissa asked, bringing Voldemort's attention back to the conversation in hand.

"Two at the most," Voldemort answered, making a mental note to speak to Ezra about Mundungus and the information they were getting from him. "I had six, then we destroyed the diary four years ago. I've recently regained the diadem, and Lucius, do you still have that silver cup I gave you all those years ago?"

"It's safely tucked away at our French penthouse," Lucius supplied. "No-one could have gotten to it."

"That leaves the locket and the ring," Voldemort mused. "The ring was at my mother's old house, while the locket was in a cave. It's conceivable the Order could have one or both of those."

"You've missed one," Hermione pointed out. "If one's already gone, two are accounted for and two are potentially missing, that makes five. You said you had six."

"And the sixth one is right here," Beth said, holding up her right hand and jingling the emerald bracelet she always wore.

"I thought the bracelet was a Granger family heirloom," Hermione said with a frown. She knew her mother had inherited the bracelet on her wedding day, and when Hermione got married, she would then become the owner of the bracelet.

"It is, but I let your father use it to make his final Horcrux shortly after our wedding," Beth answered. "So three of the Horcruxes are safe."

"And as long as they're safe, I can't be killed," Voldemort concluded.

"So that's it?" Harry asked in disbelief. "We're just going to do nothing?"

"I never said that, Harry," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "I'm just pointing out that things aren't as grave as they could have been. However, we will be taking action. I think it's time we paid the Order a visit."

"But none of us can tell you where the headquarters are," Hermione pointed out. "We tried, but Dumbledore had some sort of secrecy spell on the name of the place."

"You might not have been able to tell us the name of the place, but Harry did give us some information to work with," Voldemort said. "He told us that the headquarters were based in Sirius's childhood home."

"And?" Draco asked with a shrug, not getting the significance of the information Harry had been able to pass on.

"And Sirius is my cousin," Narcissa reminded her son. "I know exactly where he grew up. We're heading to number Twelve Grimmauld Place."

"Are you saying you've known the whereabouts of the Order all this time?" Hermione gasped. "Why haven't we struck before now?"

"I was waiting for the opportune time," Voldemort replied. "And tonight is the opportune time. Narcissa, can you get us inside?"

"I can, but we're going to need help," Narcissa replied. "I'm going to need Bellatrix. Together we can get into the house and disable the wards hiding it from view. You can then come in and do your stuff."

"I think I'll bring the Carrows and the Lestrange brothers in on it as well," Voldemort mused. "The more the merrier."

"We're also coming," Hermione said forcefully. "If we're taking the Order out, we want in."

"Yeah, we're not missing out on the action," Draco added.

"Bring it on," Harry cheered with a malicious grin.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of bringing you three to a full on battle," Beth said cautiously. "This won't be like the last confrontation with the Order. We're going in to attack and destroy. There will be fighting."

"We can fight," Hermione insisted. "Please, Daddy," She pleaded, turning her large brown eyes on her father. "Give us a chance to prove ourselves."

"If your mother agrees, you can come," Voldemort told his daughter. "And as for Harry and Draco, they need the permission of their parents. I can't speak for Severus, Lucius and Narcissa."

Immediately the three teenagers turned to their parents. Hermione quickly wore Beth down, and got her mother to agree to her accompanying them to deal with the Order. Draco was the next one to get his parents on board, and finally Harry persuaded Severus to let him join in the fun.

"The three of you can come, but make sure you're careful," Voldemort warned. "If any of you mess up, you'll not be joining in on anything else for a long time."

"We won't screw up," Hermione vowed. "So what's the plan?"

"Narcissa and Bellatrix will get us to outside of the house," Voldemort explained. "They'll then use the fact they're blood relatives to enter the house and drop the necessary wards for us to enter. I want to try and get my Horcruxes back if I can, so please try and limit the damage to the house. It'll be easier to search if it's in one piece. Once we've got control of the situation, I can protect the house so no-one from the Order can re-enter."

"And what about the people in the house?" Harry asked. "Sirius will definitely be there, and quite possibly Remus and Tonks as well."

"I want Black alive," Voldemort replied. "We might need him to tell us where the Horcruxes are if they prove tricky to find. Besides, I think it's time he went back to Azkaban. He is a wanted criminal after all, and think of what a positive effect it will have on Nott's regime if he's responsible for recapturing a mass murderer like Sirius Black."

"But he escaped last time," Draco pointed out. "What if he does it again?"

"You're forgetting Draco, we know how he escaped and we've got measures in place to stop it happening again," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "The second Nott took over as Minister he overhauled the security at Azkaban."

"You've been waiting for this moment," Harry stated. "You've always intended on capturing Sirius and returning him to Azkaban."

"I have," Voldemort replied with a nod. "Sometimes death isn't the worst thing that can happen to a person. I think it's worse for Black to go back to Azkaban, where he can spend the rest of his life thinking about the mistakes he made and the people he's lost."

"So Black isn't to be touched, but everyone else is fair game?" Lucius checked.

"Leave Black to me, and have fun with everyone else," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "By the time we've finished tonight, the Order will be in no shape to carry on fighting against us."

"When do we leave?" Hermione asked, eager to get going and finally see some real action.

"Patience Hermione," Voldemort chuckled. "I need to brief the others, and you three need alibis for tonight. I don't want people to realise you're not in school."

"No problem, the guys will lie for me and say I was in the dorm all night," Draco said.

"It's not going to be so easy for us," Harry admitted, sharing a questioning look with Hermione in the hopes that she could come up with the answer to their problem.

"I can manage it," Hermione said thoughtfully. "If I say I'm going to bed early and pull the curtains around the bed, no-one will check. Everyone will assume I'm just in there sleeping. I can then sneak out of the dorms, and Harry can get us out with the invisibility cloak."

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a nod. "And I can do the same thing. Ron wouldn't have thought twice about pulling the curtains on my bed before, but not now. If they're shut now, no-one bothers me. I can play the same trick as Hermione, say I'm going to bed, pull my curtains and sneak out."

"In that case, you've got an hour," Voldemort told the trio. "Be back here in an hour and you can floo to the manor. We'll then head to Grimmauld Place and deal with the Order."

Bursting with excitement the trio left the adults to finish getting sorted as they hurried out of Severus's office. Exchanging quick goodbyes, Harry and Hermione headed to Gryffindor Tower while Draco raced down to the dungeons to sort his alibi. As predicated, the trio found it exceptionally easy to get back to Severus's office within the hour.

Draco confided in a couple of his friends that he had something to do for Voldemort, and he asked them to cover for him. Of course they agreed, and as far as anyone in the castle was concerned, Draco was safely tucked up in the boys' dorms down in the dungeons. As for Harry and Hermione, they both found it very easy to fake an early night. All they had to do was just shut the curtains around the beds and sneak back out of Gryffindor Tower under the invisibility cloak.

"Here we go," Harry whispered excitedly as the trio re-met outside of Severus's office.

"Scared?" Hermione asked the two boys, flashing them a devious smile.

"Excited," Draco corrected. "I can't wait to experience some real Death Eater action."

Harry and Hermione echoed his sentiments and with an air of excitement building between them, the trio headed into Severus's office to get ready for the evening's festivities. Finally, they were going to be exploring the more dangerous side of supporting Voldemort, and none of them could wait for what the night had in store for them. It was certainly going to be a night to remember.


	21. Chapter 21

Narcissa was brimming with excitement as she ensured everyone arrived outside Grimmauld Place in one piece. She rarely joined in on Death Eater action, not because she couldn't fight, but because she chose not to. However, that didn't meant she was a witch to be taken lightly on the battlefield. She was no shy, retiring wallflower. She was more than capable of holding her own alongside Voldemort and his trusted band of close followers. Anyone who messed with Narcissa that evening was going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Once everyone had arrived, Bellatrix took her husband, brother-in-law, and the Carrows around to the back of the street. While the Lestranges and Carrows would enter from the back of the building, everyone else would enter from the front. As everyone got into position, they all ensured their black robes were firmly in place. No-one was wearing actual masks, but there was a charm on the robes so that the second anyone in the Order left Grimmauld Place they would forget the identity of who exactly they'd been fighting. The robes would ensure that if anyone did escape from Grimmauld Place, they couldn't identify the people involved in the attack, especially not Harry, Hermione and Draco.

Once Bellatrix had everyone in place round the back of the house, she sent her sister a message via her wand. When she felt her wand vibrating in her hand, Narcissa gave the gathered group one final nod. She then sent a similar message back to her sister, letting her know it was time to move. The second the spell had left Narcissa's wand, she raised it in the air and disappeared with a small pop.

When Narcissa re-appeared she was standing in the front foyer of Grimmauld Place. Her quiet entrance hadn't attracted any attention, and she was hoping neither had Bellatrix's. Her sister should have entered the house at the back door, so she could deal with the wards at the back of the house. Instead of getting started immediately, Narcissa took a couple of seconds to check her presence hadn't been noticed. Thankfully, it seemed as though she'd slipped under the radar.

Narcissa wasn't totally surprised by the ease in which she and Bellatrix had entered the house. Clearly Sirius had never thought about the fact blood relatives could enter the house, even with any new protective measures in place. And as for not being noticed upon her arrival, Narcissa was putting it down to Sirius's lack of familiarity with the house wards. Most witches and wizards were finely attuned to the wards around their house, but Sirius hadn't exactly spent a lot of time at the family home. He'd left the place at a teenager, and then his years in Azkaban had ensured that he'd only recently returned home. As such, it made it very easy for Narcissa and Bellatrix to gain access to his house with him even realising.

Knowing she was slightly more exposed than her sister, Narcissa got to work on releasing the wards that hid the house from view. As she worked, she kept checking around to make sure no-one either came down the stairs or emerged from either the kitchen or the living room. Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone as Narcissa worked her magic. As she worked, she felt her efforts being aided by Bellatrix, and she was grateful to have her sister's help. Even though she and Bellatrix weren't overly close and sometimes Narcissa despaired of his older sister's attitude, it was nice to work together to help the cause.

Less than five minutes after entering the house, Narcissa dropped the final ward. As she did so, she felt the house shimmer slightly and she knew even Sirius would now know they were in the house. With no time to spare, Narcissa threw open the front door as she heard shouting coming from the direction of the kitchen. At the same time the kitchen door burst open and Sirius appeared, with Remus and Tonks behind him, Voldemort and the others burst through the front door.

Almost at once spells started flying, and Narcissa didn't think twice about jumping into the fray. As she fought, she kept an eye on Draco, but her son seemed to be handling himself just fine. In fact all three of the teenagers seemed at ease with the battle that had suddenly exploded, so Narcissa focused on keeping herself out of harm's way.

Even though Sirius, Remus and Tonks had been the first three out of the kitchen, it wasn't long before more members of the Order joined the fight. Within the first five minutes of the battle erupting, Narcissa spotted, Moody, Kingsley and two red haired wizards she thought were the two eldest Weasley boys. There was also a few other people she didn't know, but then again she didn't know every single member of the Order, even with the information Severus, Harry and Hermione had passed to them. However, she was surprised that there was no sign of Molly or Arthur. Either that hadn't been at the gathering at Grimmauld Place, or else they'd been around earlier and had left.

Since she was so caught up in battling the Order, Narcissa didn't have time to worry about the wards around the house. She was assuming Voldemort had erected a ward to stop people sending for reinforcements, but she couldn't be sure. And it wasn't like she could check with him as he'd disappeared into the front room with Harry, where the pair were battling Sirius and Remus.

Narcissa spent the first part of the battle, duelling against a few of the people she didn't know. However, when she dispatched one of them with a brutal stunning curse, she found herself face to face with one of the Weasley boys. The wizard in question seemed quite shocked to see Narcissa, so she took advantage of his shock and blasted him off his feet.

"Charlie, go and get help," Tonks called to the red-haired wizard as she stepped in front of him and looked over at Narcissa. "Leave my aunt to me."

"I wouldn't if I were you, Nymphadora," Narcissa responded coolly. Even though her loyalties were firmly with Voldemort and the dark, she wasn't overly keen on fighting family, even family she was estranged from.

"You don't scare me, Narcissa," Tonks retorted as the two women began circling each other warily. "You're not a fighter. You're not like Bellatrix."

"You have no idea what I am," Narcissa replied. "Underestimate me at your peril."

"Let's see what you've got then," Tonks taunted as she raised his wand and sent a stream of fire at Narcissa.

Narcissa elegantly swept out of the way of the fire and responded with a few rapid fire curses of her own. Dodging the curses, Tonks sent more in her aunt's direction and within a minute the pair were exchanging fierce blows. Several times, Narcissa only just avoided getting hit by one of the curses Tonks was throwing her way, and she silently decided that her niece was a hell of a fighter. Although, she wasn't too bad herself and she was the first of the pair to get in a direct hit as she sent Tonks staggering back into the kitchen as she sliced through her arm with a nasty curse.

Actually enjoying the battle, Narcissa chased Tonks into the kitchen to continue their fight. As she squared back up against Tonks, Narcissa noted that theirs wasn't the only battle raging in the kitchen. Beth was going toe to toe with Moody, while Bellatrix was battling fiercely with the second Weasley boy. Turning her attention away from her sister and best friend and their respective fights, Narcissa focused on Tonks just in time to avoid a nasty curse hitting her square in the chest.

Dealing with Tonks took up all of Narcissa's energy and focus, and she lost track of the two other battles going on in the kitchen. Focusing on keeping herself safe, Narcissa summoned up a shield charm that didn't just protect her, but rebounded the curse on whoever struck the shield. The first time one of Tonks's spells hit the shield and rebounded, it knocked her off her feet and Narcissa couldn't help but smirk at the shock on her niece's face. After that, Tonks was careful what spells she threw at Narcissa, while Narcissa did her best to deal with Tonks while keeping her shield in place.

A few minutes later, Tonks once again went sprawling when Narcissa managed to deflect one of her spells back on her. As Tonks flew against one of the wall, Narcissa got her eye on Bellatrix. Her sister had her wand raised and a wicked smirk on her face. Narcissa figured she was about to get rid of the Weasley boy she'd been battling, but as she moved she realised her sister's focus was firmly on Beth, who was busy battling Moody. Narcissa took in the sight and realised what her sister was planning just as Bellatrix released a shot of green light from her wand.

"No!" Narcissa cried as without thinking she threw her shield charm in front of Beth, who disappeared into what looked like a cellar as she continued to fight with Moody.

Bellatrix's curse rebounded off the shield and Narcissa watched in horror as it flew back towards her sister and hit her squarely in the chest. Momentarily forgetting that she was in the middle of a fight herself, Narcissa took a step towards her fallen sister. However, the second her attention was diverted, Tonks struck and hit Narcissa with an excruciating curse that made it feel as though her skin was on fire. Narcissa cried out in pain as her wand dropped from her hand, while Tonks had jumped to her feet and she hit Narcissa with a second curse that rendered the older witch unconscious.

Just as Tonks struck Narcissa for the second time, Hermione entered the kitchen. Letting out an anguished cry as she saw Draco's mother fall, Hermione turned to Tonks and taking her by surprise she hit her with a series of painful curses.

"Bitch," Hermione spat. "Crucio!"

Hermione ground out the curse with so much power that when it hit Tonks it sent her flying off her feet and slamming into the wall. Hermione didn't even wince as Tonks's head slammed sickeningly against the kitchen wall. Nor did she pay any attention when Tonks's lifeless body slumped to the floor, leaving a trail of blood down the wall. Instead Hermione's focus was on Narcissa as she rushed over to the older witch and cast a protective spell around them so no-one could hurt Narcissa further.

"Please be alive, Narcissa," Hermione begged softly as she checked for a pulse.

Thankfully she found one and she breathed a sigh of relief that Narcissa wasn't dead. However, she was injured and Hermione knew Narcissa need medical help immediately. Looking around for help, she spotted Bellatrix's lifeless body across the room. However, before she could wonder what had happened to Bellatrix, her mother staggered through a door that Hermione knew led to the pantry. Hermione froze as she thought her mother was badly injured, but Beth shot her a quick smile and shook her head.

"I'm fine," Beth reassured her daughter as she rushed to her side. "What happened to Narcissa?"

"Tonks," Hermione spat, barely glancing at the witch she'd either killed or seriously hurt.

"We need to get Narcissa to hospital," Beth said. "Stay here with her, I'll go and check on the rest of the battle."

"It was all in hand last I saw," Hermione said. "Father had Sirius and he and Harry were working on making him talk. The rest of the Order are either hurt, dead or escaped. I don't think any help for them can get through."

"No, your father erected a ward as we entered the house," Beth answered. "Anyone who left can't get back in. Even if the rest of the Order were gathered outside the house, they can't gain entry. But let's not worry about this now. We need to get Narcissa seen to."

While Beth went off to see how things were going elsewhere and get some help, Hermione remained at Narcissa's side. Less than a minute after Beth left the kitchen, Hermione heard footsteps behind her and she turned round in time to see her boyfriend rushing towards her, his face a mask of pain.

"Mother," He whispered, collapsing next to Hermione and checking Narcissa over. "What happened?"

"Tonks," Hermione replied, gesturing to the broken witch beside the wall.

"You did that?" Draco checked, his grey eyes flicking over Tonks's body.

"I did, but I don't know if she's dead," Hermione answered. "Narcissa was my priority."

"One way to make sure," Draco said as he raised his wand and pointed it at Tonks. "Avada Kedavra!"

If Tonks wasn't dead before, she sure was now and Hermione felt no pity for the witch. She got what she deserved. Hermione's focus was on Narcissa, and praying that she pulled through.

"Narcissa," Lucius cried as he entered the room, with Severus and Beth trailing behind him.

"She needs to get to hospital," Draco told his father, his voice cracking with the fear he felt for his mother.

"We're going to take her, Father and Harry will finish up here," Severus said. "Hermione, do you want to come with us, or go back to school?"

"I'm coming," Hermione said as she took hold of Draco's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm going back to school to sort a few things," Beth said. "As far as anyone's concerned, there's being an accident and Draco is with his parents. I can say Harry and Hermione are with him as family friends. I'll get to the hospital as soon as I can."

"We'll not be at St Mungo's, I'll be taking Narcissa to a private hospital," Lucius said as he picked Narcissa up from the floor and cradled her in his arms.

"I'll come back to Hogwarts to pick you up," Severus offered.

Beth thanked her step-son, as he left with the others to get Narcissa to safety. She then double checked her husband and grandson had everything under control, before she headed back up to Hogwarts to cover their tracks. Aside from Narcissa, it had been a successful night, and Beth just prayed that the day wouldn't end in tragedy. After everything that had happened, it would destroy her if she lost her best friend. Narcissa had to pull through, any other outcome just wasn't worth contemplating.


	22. Chapter 22

The exhilaration of being involved in his first big battle was almost too much for Harry to handle. When they first burst into Grimmauld Place he was raring to go, and he instantly got involved with a tussle involving both Sirius and Remus, both of whom had made a beeline for Harry the second they'd spotted him. Thankfully Voldemort was watching out for Harry as less than five minutes into the battle he was almost fatally wounded by a curse Sirius threw at him, and he only survived thanks to his grandfather pushing him out of the way. The near miss calmed Harry down significantly, and from that moment on he was more focused, and he locked his excitement inside as he concentrated on the job in hand.

For Harry the job in hand involved dealing with Remus. After Sirius had nearly gotten Harry, Voldemort had stepped in and ensured that he dealt with Sirius. But Remus was no easy opponent and while he seemed slightly more hesitant than Sirius to throw nasty curses, he was still up for the fight. In fact it took all of Harry guile and magical skill just to survive the battle.

Harry was so caught up with Remus for the majority of the battle that he didn't have a clue what was happening elsewhere. His grandfather and Sirius were fighting in the same room, so he knew how that was going, but that was about it. Everyone else had disappeared to other parts of the house and although he could hear fighting, he didn't know who was winning.

Despite fighting Remus, Harry wasn't sure about actually using the killing curse, and when the opportunity to came to take the upper hand he faltered ever so slightly. Luckily his hesitance wasn't fatal and Remus didn't get a chance to capitalise on Harry's indecision before Harry hit him with a powerful stunning curse that blasted him backwards and caused him to crash into a bookshelf, bringing it down on top of Remus. Before Harry checked on Remus, he took in the situation with his grandfather, only to find Voldemort already had Sirius subdued and lying helplessly on the floor.

"Nice work, Harry," Voldemort praised, grinning at his grandson.

"Thanks," Harry replied as Hermione poked her head into the room to see how things were going.

"We're all fine here, go and check on the others," Voldemort told his daughter.

Hermione disappeared to check on the others at the same time Lucius and Severus appeared to let Voldemort know they'd taken care of the Order members that had come their way. Harry listened to the tales of his father and Lucius, before briefly regaling them of his fight with Remus. Suddenly remembering he hadn't yet checked that Remus was definitely out of commission, Harry turned to the fallen bookshelf, but before he could search for the wizard he'd been fighting, Beth rushed into the room looking very solemn.

Harry was stunned when Beth announced Narcissa had been hurt, and he was torn as to whether he should go and see if Draco was okay, or if he should stay with his grandfather. In the end Voldemort made the call for him, by asking him to stay behind and help him deal with Sirius while the others helped get Narcissa to hospital. Harry sent a message of support with Lucius as he and Severus rushed off with Beth to help Hermione and Draco get Narcissa to safety.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Voldemort asked.

"Just a bit shaken," Harry admitted. "I never thought about anyone getting hurt."

"I'm sure Narcissa will be fine," Voldemort replied, praying he was right and that she would pull through and recover from whatever injuries had been inflicted on her. "She's on her way to hospital, so the best thing we can do is handle things here."

Just as Voldemort finished speaking, Beth returned and filled Voldemort in on what was happening with Narcissa. She also mentioned that she was going back to Hogwarts to sort things so they could explain Draco, Harry and Hermione's absence.

"Good," Voldemort said with a nod. "Are the others still here, or has Bellatrix gone with her sister?"

"The Carrows are checking upstairs, the Lestrange brothers are double checking the rest of the ground floor, but Bellatrix is dead," Beth replied.

"Dead?" Voldemort repeated in shock. He'd always thought of Bellatrix as rather invincible and he wondered just who had gotten the better of her.

"In the kitchen," Beth supplied. "I don't know what happened. Last I saw of her she was fighting one of the Weasley boys."

"I'll let Rodolphus know," Voldemort said to his wife. "You get going back to Hogwarts and once we're finished here, we'll meet you at the hospital."

Beth gave her husband and grandson a kiss before disappearing from the house. Harry was still reeling over Narcissa's injury and Bellatrix being killed when his grandfather gathered the Carrows and the Lestrange brothers. He gently broke the news to Rodolphus and promised him that they would find out who killed his wife.

"Is the rest of the place secure?" Voldemort asked.

"We can't find anyone else," Amycus Carrow replied. "They're either dead or have fled."

"Harry, what happened to the werewolf you were fighting?" Voldemort asked his grandson.

"Under the bookshelf," Harry answered, turning to the bookshelf and frowning when he spotted it had moved and there was no sign of Remus. "Or at least he was there."

"Amycus, Alecto, check it out," Voldemort ordered. "Rodolphus, Bellatrix is in the kitchen. Go and take her home, I'll be in touch later on."

While the Lestrange brothers went off to remove Bellatrix's body, Harry watched as the Carrows double checked under the fallen bookshelf and found no sign of Remus. Somehow in all the commotion, he'd managed to free himself and disappear. No doubt he'd gone for help, but Harry knew no-one could enter the house until his grandfather allowed them to.

"Never mind, we'll get him another time," Voldemort said to Harry, clapping him reassuringly on the back. "Alecto, Amycus, you can leave now."

"What about the bodies here?" Alecto asked.

"We're going to leave them," Voldemort replied. "Once I've finished with Black and we've gone, I'll drop the wards around the house and the Order can return. Let them claim their dead."

At the mention of Sirius, Harry turned around half expecting him to also be gone, but Sirius was exactly where Voldemort had left him, bound and unconscious on the floor. Once the Carrows had left, Voldemort turned to Sirius and using magic he hauled him to his feet and awakened him magically.

"I'm not telling you anything," Sirius hissed at Voldemort, although his hate filled eyes never left Harry.

"Do you not think I have ways of making you talk?" Voldemort chuckled.

"You can't break me," Sirius insisted.

"That's what they all say," Voldemort replied with a shrug as he raised his wand. "Crucio!"

Harry watched in rapt fascination as Sirius crumpled to the floor in agony. Even though the pain was written all over his face, he refused to give Voldemort the pleasure of hearing him scream, and Harry could see him biting his lip to hold in his cries. His lack of noise just seemed to amuse Voldemort and rather than be annoyed, he just increased the pressure of the curse. Still Sirius refused to break, and blood started running from his mouth as he bit through his lower lip in his attempt to stay silent.

"Impressive," Voldemort finally admitted as he dropped the curse. "But can you keep it up? Crucio!"

The second blast of the curse came from nowhere and this time Sirius let out a pained cry before he managed to stop himself. Even though it was just a small cry, Voldemort leapt on the noise and with an evil smirk on his face he set about breaking Sirius. Harry watched events closely, intrigued to see how his grandfather worked. It soon became clear that Voldemort got what he wanted by breaking the curse regularly, only to reapply it with more force. Instead of the pain just steadily getting worse, he receded it before piling on more pain, making it even more painful in the long run.

Sirius was rather stubborn, and he withstood almost fifteen minutes of brutal torture before he was constantly crying and shuddering with pain. Only then did Voldemort release the spell and magically haul him back to his feet.

"Now we'll see who's going to talk," Voldemort smirked. "Tell me about the Horcruxes you have? Have you destroyed them?"

"Yes," Sirius spat with what little strength he had left. "They're gone."

"He's lying," Harry said.

"How do you know?" Voldemort asked. He also thought Sirius was lying, but that was just gut instinct, he didn't have any solid evidence to back it up.

"His eyes," Harry replied. "They looked towards the ceiling ever so briefly. The Horcruxes are upstairs."

"Nice catch, Harry," Voldemort said with a proud smile. "Let's go upstairs, Black."

While Voldemort hauled Sirius up the stairs, making sure to hurt him every so often, Harry tried to decide which room Sirius would have hidden the Horcruxes in. Deciding it would either be his room or Remus's, he led the way into Sirius's room. Sirius didn't react when they entered the room, but as Voldemort once again hit him with the Cruciatius curse, he crumpled to the floor in agony and Harry watched as his gaze skittered over to a picture on the far wall. While Voldemort was busy with Sirius, Harry headed over to the picture and pulled it off the wall, revealing a safe built into the wall.

"Look what I've found," Harry called, stepping to one side and grinning at his grandfather.

"Excellent work, Harry," Voldemort replied. Freezing Sirius so he couldn't escape, he checked out the safe his grandson had found. "I think this safe can only be used by a family member."

Turning back to Sirius, Voldemort unfroze him and hauled him to his feet once again. Dragging him over to the safe, he physically forced a weakened Sirius to open the safe. When the safe popped open, Harry delved inside and found the Horcruxes, along with a box of what looked like Horcrux research.

"Grab the lot," Voldemort ordered. "Once you've got everything, we're leaving. I can feel the Order trying to get into the house, and while they can't manage it, they're starting to get on my nerves."

Quickly finding a bag, Harry dumped everything from Sirius's safe into the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Slamming the safe shut, he replaced the picture in front of it and turned to his grandfather to let him know he was ready to leave.

"Come and take hold of my arm," Voldemort said as he secured Sirius so that he couldn't escape on their travels. "The second we leave the wards around the house will drop and the Order will be able to enter. Do we have everything?"

"We do," Harry confirmed as he tightly grabbed his grandfather's arm.

With a nod to Harry, Voldemort dissapparated them out of Grimmauld Place with a crack. When they landed they were in a vast office which Harry didn't recognise. While Harry looked around, quickly realising they were at the Ministry in Nott's office, Voldemort secured Sirius to a chair. Harry wasn't sure if they were going to hang around for Nott to arrive, but they'd only been in the office for a few minutes before the fire lit up and Bernard Nott strode from the flames.

"Ah Bernard, I have a little gift for you," Voldemort said with a flourish as he showed the Minister a badly bruised and bloody Sirius Black.

"Thank you, My Lord," Bernard replied with an incline of his head. "I'll make sure Mr Black is returned to his rightful place."

"I'm sure you will, Minister," Voldemort replied with an evil cackle. "And do me a favour, make sure he receives daily additions of the paper, we don't want him missing out on anything, do we?"

"This isn't the end for me," Sirius spat, although it was clearly a struggle for him to talk he'd been through so much recently. "I escaped once, I can do it again. Watch your back, Harry, I'm coming for you."

"You're wrong, Sirius," Harry said calmly. "This is the end. You're going to spend the rest of your days rotting in Azkaban, and there's not a thing you can do about it."

"I think it's time we were off now, Harry," Voldemort said, placing a hand on his grandson's shoulder.

Leaving Sirius with the Minister, Voldemort apparated he and Harry back home. At home they dropped the bag of stuff they'd removed into Voldemort's study, while he took the time to find out where Narcissa had been taken. Once he had the name of the private hospital, he connected the floo and he and Harry headed off to check on Narcissa.

When the pair arrived in the waiting room, Beth was back from Hogwarts and she was sitting next to Lucius, who looked pale and distracted. Draco didn't look much better, and he was sitting clutching Hermione's hand as she had her spare arm wrapped tightly around him. Severus was sitting next to Beth looking just as worried as everyone else and Harry immediately thought the worst had happened and that Narcissa hadn't made it.

"She's still alive," Lucius whispered when he spotted Voldemort and Harry. "Right now they're doing all they can to try and save her arm."

"Her arm?" Harry questioned as he sat down next to Draco and gave his friend a reassuring smile.

"She was hit by a pretty nasty fireball and it's done major damage to her left side," Severus explained. "A lot of the damage was concentrated on her upper arm, and when we arrived the magic was still eating through her skin. If it's too far advanced she may lose her arm, but the healers were hopeful they could slow the magic down."

Not knowing what to say, Harry lapsed into silence as he and his grandfather joined the group anxiously waiting for news. Half an hour later a healer in his mid-fifties with little round glasses entered the room.

"How is she?" Lucius immediately demanded.

"Sleeping," The healer replied. "Her arm is safe. We've stopped the burns from doing too much damage. However, your wife will have heavy scarring on the top of her left arm and partway down her left side."

"But she'll live?" Lucius checked. He didn't care how scarred Narcissa was, as long as she was alive.

"She'll live," The healer confirmed, causing relieved sighs all around.

Lucius dropped his head into his hands at the news while Draco buried his head in Hermione's shoulder and Harry suspected both Malfoys were shedding a few tears at the news Narcissa was going to live. Beth and Hermione both had tears coming from their eyes, and everyone else, including Harry, was choked up by the news.

"Can we see her?" Lucius asked as he lifted his head.

"She'll be sleeping until tomorrow," The healer said. "But I see no reason why you and your son can't sit with her. Although, for now, I have to insist on family only."

"It's okay, we should get back anyway," Beth said. "Lucius, get in touch if there's any change."

"I will," Lucius vowed. "And thank you for everything you've done, Beth. And you too, Hermione. I'll never forget what you've done for my wife."

"Neither will I," Draco said, giving his girlfriend a kiss. "I love you even more for saving my mother's life."

"You would have done the same," Hermione replied with a small smile. "Now go and sit with Narcissa, and give her my love."

When Hermione and Draco shared another kiss before he headed off with Lucius, Harry didn't even roll his eyes at the pair. After everything that had happened, he didn't resent them taking comfort in each other.

"Let's get back to Hogwarts," Severus said.

"I need to get back to deal with things at home," Voldemort said. "I need to find out what happened to Bellatrix."

While Beth decided to accompany Voldemort back home to deal with events of the evening, Severus escorted Harry and Hermione back to Hogwarts. Instead of sending them both off to Gryffindor Tower, he sent for an elf and had three cups of hot chocolate brought to his private quarters. The trio then sat talking for another hour as they filled each other in on their experiences of the evening. Harry and Severus heard all about Hermione potentially killing Tonks and stopping her from killing Narcissa, while Harry told his father and aunt everything that had happened with Sirius after they left. Finally, Harry and Hermione headed back to Gryffindor Tower, although they were both too edgy to sleep so they spent the rest of the night settled beside the fire, talking and hoping that everything was okay at the hospital and that Narcissa hadn't taken a turn for the worse.


	23. Chapter 23

Despite not heading up to bed, fatigue did eventually hit Harry and Hermione and they ended up dozing on the sofa in front of the fire. However, as the first of the students started to get up the noise awakened the pair and they also raised themselves from their slumber. After agreeing they wanted to go and see if there was any new news, the pair separated to go and quickly get washed and changed.

Five minutes later they were heading out of Gryffindor Tower, with none of their dorm mates even aware they'd never slept in the beds and were now gone again. Since the pair weren't sure if Beth was back at school, they decided to just go and see Severus. Luckily they both knew the password to his office so they breezed into the room, and knocked on the door that led to his private quarters. When Severus opened the door, both Hermione and Harry were thrilled to see Beth sitting in the armchair beside the fire.

"How are you two?" Beth asked as she gave the pair a quick hug.

"We're fine. Is there any word on Narcissa?" Hermione questioned.

"I spoke to Lucius less than ten minutes ago, and Narcissa is still sleeping," Beth replied. "She's not expected to wake up until early this afternoon."

"They can tell when she going to wake?" Harry frowned, not sure how the healers could predict when Narcissa would wake.

"She's in a magical sleep," Hermione told her nephew. "Not long after we arrived at the hospital she woke up in agony and the healers had to put her to sleep to work on her. It was awful listening to her screams of pain when she was awake."

"How awful," Harry whispered, thinking how traumatised Draco and Lucius must have been to hear Narcissa in such pain and knowing they couldn't do anything to stop her from hurting.

"It was," Hermione replied quietly, not wanting to dwell on how awful it had been to witness Narcissa's suffering.

"Let's not dwell on the past," Beth said, noticing the sombre atmosphere. "Narcissa will be fine when she wakes up, albeit with some scarring. But the important thing is she's going to live."

"You're right, that is the most important thing," Hermione said with a nod. "I take it Draco and Lucius won't be back until later."

"As long as everything's okay with Narcissa, Draco will be back some time this evening," Severus replied. "As for Lucius, he's going to be taking a few days off so I'll be taking over Dark Arts."

"What about Draco's friends, they're going to want to know what's going on," Harry said. "What can we tell them?"

"Last night when I came back to the school, I informed them there'd been an incident and not to expect Draco back," Beth said. "Officially we're going to say Narcissa is ill, and Lucius and Draco are with her. However, I see no reason why you can't tell them the truth."

"Just don't do it where anyone else can hear," Severus cautioned. "I'm sure the Order will spread the word about the attack as soon as they can, but even when that happens we can just deny it or ignore the rumours. I don't want anyone finding out Narcissa was injured in the attack and you three were all there, is that clear?"

"We're not stupid, Severus," Hermione haughtily replied. "We'll talk to the Slytherins in private."

"Good, and we'll let you know the second we hear from Lucius," Beth said. "Now let's go and get some breakfast."

Severus and Beth accompanied Harry and Hermione down to The Great Hall. Just as they were about to enter the room, the Slytherins emerged from the dungeons so Harry and Hermione hung back to talk to their new friends.

"Hey, do you two know what's going on with Draco?" Blaise asked as the group approached Harry and Hermione.

"Yeah, but we can't talk here," Hermione replied as a couple of Ravenclaws passed them and entered the Great Hall. "Let's go into one of the empty classrooms across the hall."

The Slytherins exchanged confused looks, but they all followed Harry and Hermione into an empty classroom. Once everyone was in the classroom, Harry and Hermione locked the door and put up a spell to prevent anyone outside the room from listening in on their conversation.

"What's going on?" Daphne asked in a worried voice as she took hold of Harry's hand.

"Narcissa's in hospital, pretty badly hurt," Hermione explained. "Last night Father led a raid on Order Headquarters and Narcissa was injured."

"You were there?" Theo questioned clearly in awe at the revelation.

"We were," Harry confirmed.

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Daphne checked with her boyfriend.

"I'm perfectly safe," Harry reassured Daphne with a smile. "Narcissa was our only casualty."

"You're forgetting Bellatrix, she's dead," Hermione said.

"I'm not too sure she was killed by the enemy," Harry replied. "She's spent so much of the last year causing trouble, someone on our side might have taken her out."

"I wish it had been me," Hermione said with a wicked grin.

"You're scary, do you know that?" Theo asked, taking a step away from Hermione.

"Never mind scary, she's bloody hot," Blaise said with a low whistle.

"Aren't you dating Luna?" Hermione asked Blaise with a frown.

"I am, but I can appreciate a hot witch when I'm friends with one," Blaise replied with a casual shrug. "Your darkness is very appealing, but luckily for Draco I'm happy with Luna."

"Why luckily for Draco?" Harry asked.

"Because if I wasn't with Luna, I would set out to seduce Hermione and make her mine," Blaise answered.

"Sorry Blaise, you're not my type," Hermione responded with a chuckle.

"You'd change your mind if I really turned on the charm," Blaise answered, unflustered by Hermione's lack of interest in him.

Hermione laughed again at Blaise as she shook her head and turned her attention back to the subject at hand. "Back to Narcissa. She's still sleeping, but she's expected to wake up this afternoon."

"Will she make a full recovery?" Daphne asked.

"She's expected to," Harry answered. "If she wakes up this afternoon, Draco should be back this evening so we can ask him."

"But for now, nothing we've just told you can leave this room," Hermione warned, focusing her stern glare on Pansy, who was standing slightly behind the other Slytherins. "If one whisper of this conversation gets out, I'll know who's to blame."

"Don't look at me," Pansy spat. "I wouldn't betray Draco by gossiping about his mother."

"None of us would," Theo stated.

"I wouldn't have thought you would, but I just had to be sure," Hermione replied. "Officially Narcissa is going to be ill, and that's why Draco and Lucius aren't here. So as far as any of you know, that's exactly what's happening."

"Don't worry, we won't breath a word to a soul," Blaise vowed. "I won't even tell Luna."

Satisfied the Slytherins wouldn't be gossiping, Hermione released the spells on the door and the group left the classroom. The entered the Great Hall just in time to hear Severus announce that Professor Malfoy was dealing with a private family matter, so for the time being he would be taking over the teaching of Dark Arts.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Draco sat beside his mother's bed, dozing in the uncomfortable hospital chair. Despite Lucius urging him to go back to school to get some proper rest, Draco refused to leave Narcissa's side. He wasn't going anywhere until he was sure his mother was going to be okay.

When it was quiet, as it currently was, he could still hear Beth's gentle voice in his head telling him his mother had been hurt, and he still shuddered at the memory of Narcissa's unmoving body on the kitchen floor at Grimmauld Place. Draco could barely recall finding out what had happened to his mother from Hermione, but he could remember shooting the killing curse at the witch who had caused his mother's injuries. Draco just hoped that whether she'd died from his curse or if Hermione had killed her that Tonks had suffered. He would hate to think she'd drifted off peacefully when she'd caused his mother so much pain.

Draco knew just how much pain his mother had been in, as she'd woken up after they'd arrived at the hospital and her cries were the most harrowing sounds he'd ever heard. He'd been in pain just hearing his mother's cries, so he hated to imagine just what she'd felt. Thankfully the healers had sedated her and they're assured them that when she woke up, she wouldn't be in such intense pain. Of course she was still going to be in pain, but it would be more manageable.

"Draco."

Draco was jolted out of his uneasy sleep by his father's large hand on his shoulder and when he opened his eyes, Lucius handed him a cup of hot tea.

"Thanks," Draco said, sitting up as his father settled down in the seat beside him. "Any news?" He asked, looking towards his still sleeping mother.

"She's stable and according to the healers she'll be waking up at any time," Lucius replied.

"Have you slept?" Draco asked, eyeing his father and noticing how dishevelled and exhausted he looked.

"I couldn't," Lucius answered as he took hold of Narcissa's hand. "I'll rest once I'm sure your mother is going to be alright."

"Mother's tougher than she looks," Draco said. "I'm sure she's going to be just fine."

"I'm sure she is," Lucius agreed, before father and son lapsed into silence as they waited for Narcissa to re-join them in the land of the living.

Twenty minutes later, Narcissa began to stir and an excited Lucius called for the healers before focusing his attention on his wife. All the time Narcissa was waking up, Lucius held onto her hand and spoke quietly to her. Draco sort of felt as though he was intruding as his father poured his heart out and told Narcissa how much he loved her, but he didn't move from his mother's side. Lucius wasn't the only one who loved Narcissa and needed her to wake up, Draco also needed his mother and he wasn't ready to lose her.

Thankfully Lucius and Draco didn't have to worry about losing Narcissa, and even though it took her nearly an hour after she'd first started to stir, she eventually woke up. The second she was awake the healers shooed the Malfoy men out of the room and they then faced another thirty minute wait before one of the healers briefed them on Narcissa's condition and gave them permission to return to her room.

"But don't tire her out," The female healer who'd allowed them back into the room warned them in a stern voice. "Mrs Malfoy has been through a horrific experience and she's on a lot of pain medication. She's going to need plenty of rest and relaxation to get back on her feet."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't over exert herself," Lucius vowed as he went flying into his wife's room.

Following his father into Narcissa's room, Draco knew his father would look after his mother to the best of his ability. Knowing Lucius, it would be months before he allowed Narcissa to even do the simplest thing for herself. For the foreseeable future, Narcissa was very much in her husband's capable hands.

"Lucius, Draco," Narcissa gasped when she saw her husband and son entering the room.

"Cissa," Lucius cried, his voice breaking as he leant over the bed and gently pulled Narcissa into his arms. "We thought we'd lost you," He confessed as he reluctantly broke away from his wife.

"Never," Narcissa replied with a weak smile, before turning to Draco. "Do I not get a hug off you?"

In an instant Draco was at his mother's side and enclosed her in a gentle hug. For a moment he was content to just take in his mother's comforting smell and rejoice in the fact he hadn't lost the amazing woman who had raised him. Eventually, he lifted his head and gave his mother a smile as he took the seat beside her bed while Lucius settled himself on the bed beside his wife and wrapped his arm around her, protectively pulling her into his side.

"Can you remember what happened?" Lucius asked gently.

"Vaguely," Narcissa replied. "I was fighting Andromeda's daughter. She must have hit me with a curse. What happened to her?"

"Hermione took her out," Draco supplied. "She witnessed part of what happened, and she stopped Tonks from killing you outright."

"Is she dead?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, but I don't know whether it was Hermione who killed her or me," Draco replied. "Hermione stopped her from attacking you and she was lying motionless on the floor, but just to be sure I shot the killing curse at her. Either way, she's paid for what she did to you."

"Was there any other casualties?" Narcissa asked.

Lucius and Draco shared a concerned look, before Lucius gently broke the news that Bellatrix had died in the battle. Neither Draco nor Lucius were quite sure how Narcissa was going to react to the news of her sister's death, as while they weren't overly close they were still family. However, neither of them expected Narcissa to nod solemnly and declare she already knew her sister was gone.

"How?" Draco gasped.

"Because I killed her," Narcissa whispered.

"You what?" Lucius questioned, genuinely shocked by his wife's revelation. To be honest it had crossed his mind that Beth or Hermione could have taken Bellatrix out in the heat of the battle, but it had never occurred to him his wife would have been involved.

"She was trying to kill Beth," Narcissa explained as the memories came flooding back. The second Lucius mentioned Bellatrix being dead, everything snapped into place and she could remember every second of the battle up until she was knocked out. "I was fighting, and I spotted Bella preparing to strike. I thought she was after a member of the Order, but her wand was pointed at Beth. I didn't have time to think so I threw the shield charm I was using to protect myself in front of Beth. Bella's curse hit the shield and rebounded back on herself, and that was when I was struck down."

"Beth never mentioned any of this," Lucius said with a puzzled frown. He wondered if Beth felt guilty that Narcissa had been hurt because she was saving her so she hadn't mentioned what had happened.

"I don't think she knew what was happening," Narcissa said, breathing heavily as though it was taking every ounce of her strength to just keep talking. "She was busy with the ex Auror, Moody. Bella was going to strike her in the back when she wasn't looking."

"Bitch," Draco hissed angrily. Everything was his aunt's fault, Narcissa had only been hurt because she'd saved Beth's life, which his crazy aunt had been threatening. If only Bellatrix hadn't tried to kill Beth, then Narcissa wouldn't have ended up in hospital.

"Let's discuss this another time," Lucius urged, noticing how much Narcissa was starting to struggle. "Right now, all that matters is that we're all safe and sound."

"Make sure The Dark Lord knows the truth," Narcissa insisted, sounding pretty firm although her eyelids were starting to droop.

"Don't worry, we'll tell him," Lucius reassured his wife as he kissed the top of her head. "You just sleep now, Cissa."

Within minutes Narcissa was fast asleep in her husband's arms. Draco stayed at the hospital for another hour, and Narcissa briefly woke up again to say goodbye before he headed back to school. Now he knew Narcissa was going to be okay, Draco was eager to head back to school and catch up with Harry and Hermione and compare notes about the battle at Grimmauld Place.


	24. Chapter 24

Draco arrived back at Hogwarts just as the final lesson of the day began. Instead of going to whatever lesson he should be attending, Draco instead chose to head down to the dungeons to freshen up. After grabbing a refreshing shower and getting changed into fresh clothes, he consulted his timetable and found the last lesson of the day was Transfiguration. Knowing that was where he would find Hermione, Harry and his other friends, Draco headed off to the transfiguration corridor and when the bell for the end of the day rang, he was leaning against the wall opposite the classroom.

When the class filed out, Hermione was the first to see him and she rushed over to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him as Harry and the Slytherins also gathered around him.

"How's Narcissa?"

"She's been awake a few times," Draco replied. "When I left she was sleeping again."

"But she's going to be okay?" Harry checked.

"With some rest, she'll be fine," Draco replied. "But let's not discuss this here," He added in a low voice as Ron appeared in the corridor behind them and gave them all a disgusted glare.

"Do you mind?" He spat. "Some of us want to get past."

"We're not stopping you, Weasley," Blaise retorted, gesturing to all the space there was in the corridor. Yes, there was a group of them, but they weren't blocking the corridor in any way.

"Just trying to make us all sick," Ron shot back. "Seriously, who wants to watch the ferret snogging the bushy haired traitor bitch?"

"You better watch what you're saying about my girlfriend, Weasley," Draco warned in a low voice as he whipped out his wand and pointed it at the redhead. "I'm really not in a forgiving mood at the moment."

"Why? A day off lessons not suit you?" Ron spat. "It's alright for some, skiving all day."

"I was not skiving, I was with my mother in hospital," Draco snarled. He'd arrived back at Hogwarts via Severus's office and his godfather had told them that the staff had all been told Narcissa was ill, and even though the students had just been told Lucius was dealing with a family emergency he knew word of Narcissa being ill would have spread throughout the school.

"And what? You expect me to be sympathetic?" Ron snorted. "It's just a shame she didn't snuff it during the night."

With a low growl, Draco launched himself at Ron before anyone else could react and within seconds the two wizards were rolling around on the floor. Both Draco's wand and Ron's were forgotten about as the two boys set about physically battling it out. Very quickly Draco got the upper hand and he managed to land a solid punch to Ron's nose. Although Ron wasn't one to be beaten and he kneed Draco in the groin just as Professor McGonagall swept out of her classroom to see what all the fuss was about.

"Just what is going on here?" She demanded.

"Malfoy's broke my nose," Ron wailed as blood flew everywhere from his injury.

"You're lucky it wasn't your neck," Draco snarled as he stumbled to his feet.

"Enough," McGonagall snapped. "Malfoy, Weasley, get into my classroom now and don't even think about restarting this juvenile fight. As for the rest of you, run along and find something productive to do with your time."

"But don't you want to hear what happened?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure Mr Malfoy and Mr Weasley are quite capable of sticking up for themselves, Miss Granger," McGonagall replied haughtily, giving Hermione a dismissive glare.

"Yeah, bog off Granger," Ron sneered.

"Into the classroom, now," McGonagall ordered Ron, giving him a push. "You too," She added to Draco.

"We'll be in the library when you're finished," Harry said to Draco as his friend reluctantly disappeared into McGonagall's classroom.

While Harry, Hermione and the Slytherins headed off to the library, Draco slouched into McGonagall's classroom behind Ron. McGonagall followed the two boys into the classroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"That was disgraceful behaviour," McGonagall scolded. "You were both acting like children. Both of you will lose thirty points for fighting."

"Thirty?" Ron repeated in horror. "But that's not fair, he attacked me."

"You deserved it," Draco retorted, glaring at Ron.

"Enough," McGonagall called, stopping things before the two teenagers got embroiled in fresh fight. "Mr Weasley, tell me what happened."

"I left the classroom and Malfoy and his bitch of a girlfriend were blocking the corridor with their snogging antics," Ron began.

"I've warned you Weasley, do not call Hermione names," Draco snarled menacingly.

"Thank you Mr Malfoy," McGonagall intervened. "And Mr Weasley you've lost another five points for calling other students derogatory names. Just tell me what happened without the name calling."

"Malfoy and Granger were in the way with their little posse," Ron replied snappishly. "I tried to get past, words were exchanged and the next thing I know Malfoy jumped me."

"Liar," Draco spat. "You know exactly why I attacked you."

"So you admit, you attacked Mr Weasley?" McGonagall asked, looking almost triumphant to catch the blond Slytherin admitting to doing something against the school rules.

"I did," Draco admitted, surprising both McGonagall and Ron with how easy he'd admitted being the instigator of the fight. "And do you want to know why I attacked him?"

"Is there ever a good reason to attack another student?" McGonagall questioned.

"There is if he tells you your seriously ill mother should have died," Draco answered through clenched teeth. He was still smarting from Ron's crack and he knew the second he got another chance the redhead would pay for his vile insults about Narcissa.

McGonagall turned to Ron, her anger and disappointment clear for both him and Draco to see. "Tell me you didn't say such a thing."

"I can't remember what I said," Ron said with a shrug.

"Let me jog your memory," Draco supplied. "You said it was a shame my mother hadn't snuffed it during the night."

"How is your mother?" McGonagall asked, although Draco could hear that it was merely a polite enquiry, there was no concern in her voice. "Professor Snape said she was taken ill late last night."

"It got a bit dicey when she was first taken to hospital, but she's pulled through," Draco replied. "She'll be fine with some rest."

"That's good," McGonagall replied with a nod. "But even so, I cannot excuse the fighting. Both of you are to come to my office after dinner and we can discuss detentions. And I'm warning you both, another incident like todays and I'll be taking you both to the headmaster. Fighting is frowned upon at Hogwarts, and if I catch you brawling again I'll recommend suspension for you both. Is that clear?"

"Yes Professor," Ron replied.

"Yes," Draco bit out, when McGonagall turned her stern expression on him.

"Mr Weasley, go up to the hospital wing to get your nose fixed," McGonagall ordered. "And Mr Malfoy, you leave via my office and stay away from Mr Weasley."

"With pleasure," Draco muttered as he shot Ron once last glare before turning and heading to McGonagall's office.

Passing through the office, he made his way to the library, where he found his friends gathered around one of the large tables at the back of the room. Settling down in the seat beside Hermione, he answered all their questions as they asked what had happened with Ron.

"Someone should pick another fight with him just to get the bugger suspended," Hermione muttered as she double checked Draco was okay.

"Just say the word and I'll take him out," Blaise said, winking at Hermione.

"Did you just wink at my girlfriend?" Draco queried.

"I was just offering my services," Blaise replied innocently.

"Well she doesn't need your services, she's got me," Draco replied territorially as his placed an arm around Hermione's shoulder and gave Blaise a warning stare.

"Boys, don't be so childish," Hermione tutted, although secretly she found Draco's possessive attitude quite sexy. Not that she was going to tell him that as she was still fiercely independent and she didn't need him thinking he could act like a jealous cave man every time Blaise, or any other wizard for that matter, flirted with her.

"Tell us about Narcissa," Harry urged.

"Is it safe?" Draco asked, looking around. Even though he couldn't see anyone else, he didn't want anyone to overhear some of what he had to say.

Quickly Harry and Hermione erected a privacy spell around the table, ensuring that no-one was approached them could hear what they were saying. Once their privacy was ensured, Draco set about telling his friends about his mother. He shared the good news that aside from some heavy scarring she would make a complete recovery. He then dropped the bombshell that Narcissa had been the one to kill Bellatrix as she saved Beth's life.

"If she was still around, I would skin the bitch alive," Hermione swore.

"Definitely scary," Theo muttered, eyeing Hermione warily.

"Calm down Hermione, you're scaring Theo," Draco joked.

"Too right she is," Theo agreed, although he gave Hermione a smile to let her know he wasn't totally running scared of her. "Remind me to never upset you, Hermione."

"I'm sure you won't get on my bad side, Theo," Hermione said with a smile of her own. "And Bellatrix is lucky she's already dead. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would want to hurt her. Does Father know about Bellatrix?"

"Father's going to tell him the full story," Draco answered.

Hermione nodded, and as the others changed the subject she sat quietly contemplating that if it hadn't been for Narcissa, she would be sitting here without a mother. She would have to find a way of thanking Narcissa for saving her mother's life.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After visiting the hospital wing, Ron returned to Gryffindor Tower where he'd had a full on rant about Draco and the fight they'd gotten into. When he initially returned to the common room, sympathies had been with him, but as he ranted people had drifted off and once again Ron found himself standing alone. His attitude was rapidly turning people against him, and any chance he had of helping Ginny gaining some support for the light was rapidly diminishing.

By the time dinner rolled round, Ron was well and truly on his own and he stomped down to the Great Hall by himself. Unluckily he arrived at the same time as Harry, Hermione and the Slytherins and he was forced to witness Harry and Hermione exchanging kisses with their respective Slytherin partners before he could enter the Great Hall. Making sure he sat as far away from Hermione and Harry as he could, Ron slouched down at the Gryffindor table and waited for the food to appear.

A few minutes later the food appeared, but before Ron had even had a chance to pick up his plate everyone was distracted by an owl swooping into the Great Hall. Post generally arrived at breakfast time so there was an air of curiosity as the bird soared into the room. Like everyone else, Ron had stopped to check out the owl and he nearly dropped his plate in surprise as he recognised the bird as Hermes, Percy's owl.

Hermes dropped a letter on Ron's empty plate, before swooping over to the Professors table and dropping a second letter in front of McGonagall. With that Hermes exited the Great Hall, leaving it in deathly silence. The owl's actions had captured everyone's attentions and they were all waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Ron glanced over at McGonagall, and finding her looking at the unopened letter with a frown on her face, he turned his attention to his own. The writing on the front of the envelope, which was addressed to both him and Ginny, was in his mother's writing. Praying it wasn't bad news about the family, Ron tore into the letter and quickly scanned the contents.

As he read, Ron's heart was in his mouth and he was horrified to discover that the Order headquarters had been raided. Molly assured them that while both Bill and Charlie had been at Grimmauld Place at the time they'd both escaped unhurt. However, the same couldn't be said for everyone. Tonks, Moody and Kingsley had been found in the house, all dead, along with a couple of lesser members of the Order. Then there was the fact Sirius had gone missing and was somehow back in the custody of the Ministry and back in Azkaban, a story which Molly reckoned would reach the papers the next day. And finally Remus was missing, with the Order assuming the dark had him and were torturing him for information.

Ron re-read the letter two times before slamming it down on the table in anger. With fury clouding his judgement, he pulled his wand from his pocket and jumped to his feet. Of all the people in the school he could associate with the attack, he was focused on two people, the two people who had betrayed the Order. In his eyes the people to blame for the attack were Hermione and Harry.

"You bastards," Ron stormed. "You're going to pay for this. Crucio!"

The spell took everyone by surprise, and Harry wasn't prepared when it hit him full in the chest. With a cry he fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Instantly, Hermione had her wand out but Ron was already in action and she hadn't even managed to point her wand at him before he blasted her with the same curse. Hermione's cry reverberated around the Great Hall as she also collapsed in agony.

Hermione had no sooner fallen than several wands were aimed in Ron's direction. Draco was the first to shoot a spell at the redhead, causing him to drop his wand as a searing pain ran through his fingers. Next came Beth and Severus in a combined effort and before he knew where he was, Ron found himself magically pinned to the wall as a fuming Severus advanced on him.

"You're going to pay for that, Weasley," Severus hissed menacingly.

"You can't do this to me, I'm a student," Ron protested, trying to free himself from the spell Beth and Severus had placed on him.

"Right now, I couldn't care less," Severus spat. "You've just shot an unforgivable curse at my son and my sister. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Severus," Beth said softly from beside him. "This isn't the way. Hermione and Harry aren't badly hurt. It was a weak version of the curse."

"Weak or not, it was still an unforgivable," Severus retorted.

"And he'll be punished," Beth said. "Using an unforgivable curse is unacceptable and as such can lead to a suspension or even an expulsion from Hogwarts."

"You're right," Severus said with a smirk as he backed off and dropped the spell on Ron, causing the redhead to fall to the floor in a heap. "Professor McGonagall?" He called over his shoulder. "I want you to take your student to my office. I'll be there shortly and we'll discuss Mr Weasley's suspension with a view to permanent exclusion."

"No, you can't," Ron whispered in horror as the headmaster turned and strode away from him. "They attacked the Order," He shouted as he got to his feet. "They killed innocent people."

"Stop it now," McGonagall hissed as she came up beside Ron and hauled him out of the Great Hall.

"But Professor, you got a letter, you know what they did," Ron protested as McGonagall steered him towards the stairs.

"I do know," McGonagall said with a weary sigh. "But I know better than to attack in public. I'm sorry Ron, but I can't save you here. Like it or not, you're going to end up suspended. And given who you attacked, I think expulsion is also on the cards. It's certainly what Professor Snape will push for."

"Can't we fight it?" Ron asked in despair.

"A suspension will be active immediately, but an expulsion needs a full hearing with the student, their parents, staff and the governors. It'll take a few weeks to put into place, and in that time I can try and calm Professor Snape down," McGonagall said. "Although, it might help if you apologised to Harry and Hermione."

"Never," Ron hissed. "I will never apologise to them, not after what they've done. "I'd rather die first."

McGonagall wearily shook her head as she took the redhead up to the headmaster's office. She really couldn't see any way out for Ron, it was more than likely he'd spent his last night at Hogwarts. She just hoped his rash actions didn't have other consequences. After all, it wasn't Ron's finest hour attacking the daughter and grandson of The Dark Lord. It looked like they would just have to wait and see if Voldemort retaliated and hope that if he did strike back the Weasleys were ready for him and that Ron didn't end up as another casualty of the war.


	25. Chapter 25

When she received an unexpected floo call from Minerva McGonagall asking her and Arthur to get up to Hogwarts as soon as possible, Molly instantly thought the worst. After spending all day dealing with the fall out of the attack on Grimmauld Place, she was worried in case something had happened to Ron and Ginny. After all, her two youngest children were in pretty close proximity to some dangerous people up at Hogwarts.

Quickly gathering Arthur and ensuring the rest of the family were okay, Molly led the way to Hogwarts. Molly fully expected to land in McGonagall's office, so she was surprised to find herself in the headmaster's office. She was also relieved to find Ron sitting in front of Snape's desk, looking safe and sound, although there was no sign of Ginny.

"Is Ginny okay?" She immediately questioned as Arthur arrived behind her.

"As far as I'm aware, Ginny is fine," McGonagall replied. "This is about Ron. Professor Snape has just stepped out, but he'll be back in a few seconds."

"What's going on, Minerva?" Arthur asked as he and Molly sat down on either side of their son.

"Do you want to tell them?" McGonagall asked Ron.

"I'm being suspended," Ron answered moodily.

"What? Why?" Molly screeched as the door to the office opened and Severus made his appearance. "This is discrimination, they can't do this."

"Actually, I can and I am doing it," Severus said as he walked around his desk and settled in his chair. "In fact, this isn't just a suspension. I'm pushing forward with plans to permanently expel Mr Weasley."

"Expel?" Molly cried. "You cannot expel my son. He has every right to an education."

"Indeed he does, but he also has to adhere to the school rules," Severus replied. "He's had two strikes today, and his last stunt in the Great Hall will most certainly lead to criminal charges against him."

"Criminal charges?" Molly gasped in horror.

"Just what exactly has happened today?" Arthur interrupted. "No-one has told us anything."

"You haven't told them?" Severus asked McGonagall in surprise.

"I didn't have time," McGonagall muttered.

"To cut a long story short, your son is being suspended for torturing two students," Severus explained.

"It wasn't torture," Ron protested. "I hit them with a curse."

"The Cruciatius Curse," Severus corrected stonily.

"Ron," Arthur scolded, glaring at his youngest son. "What on earth were you playing at?"

"I believe your letter was the instigator," Severus remarked. "He'd no sooner read the letter then he was attacking Harry and Hermione."

"I should have known those two monsters were involved," Molly sneered. "And that is why we're here, because he stood up for himself against your son and sister."

"He was not standing up for himself, he attacked without provocation," Severus snarled.

"Just like I was attacked earlier," Ron spat.

"You were attacked?" Reaching for her son, Molly immediately began checking him over for damage. "Why wasn't I informed of this earlier incident?"

"It wasn't an attack, Ron was caught fighting with Draco Malfoy," McGonagall explained.

"It was not a fight, he attacked me," Ron told Molly.

"After you told him his mother should have died in hospital," Severus snappishly corrected. "I think you should consider yourself very lucky Professor Malfoy wasn't around to hear you say such things about his sick wife. That was strike one, the attack on Harry and Hermione is the second strike. I will not have the likes of you in my school."

"This is persecution," Molly insisted angrily. "You're victimising my son because of our association with the Order."

"Molly, I can assure you that is not the case," McGonagall said. "I personally dealt with the earlier incident and I warned both Ron and Draco that any more violence would lead to a suspension, and a couple of hours later he was attacking students in the Great Hall. I'm sorry, but anyone who behaved like he did today would be sitting here staring at a suspension."

"And what about the Malfoy boy?" Arthur asked. "Is he being punished over the fight?"

"Professor McGonagall docked points off both boys," Severus answered.

"And there's the detentions," McGonagall reminded the headmaster. "Obviously Ron won't be serving them until his return, but Draco can still do his."

"There won't be any detentions," Severus replied calmly. "Given what was said, it was understandable that Draco snapped. I'll let the docked points stand, but that's the end of it. As for Mr Weasley's detentions, there'll be no need to think about them either. As I said, I'm going to start proceedings to have him expelled."

"We will fight any attempt to kick Ron out of school," Arthur vowed.

"Do you really think you'll succeed?" Severus asked with a cold laugh. "As Headmaster my opinion counts for a great deal. To overturn my decision you need the senior Professors, the head of governors and the Minister himself to vote against my decision. Do you honestly think any of them will back your son after he's attacked two students in full view of the entire school? And don't forget, Lucius Malfoy is still head of governors, even though he's now a Professor. Not to mention the legal proceedings that will begin against your son. The Ministry will be informed of today's events."

"We'll take it to the press," Molly spat. "We'll get everyone on our side, parents and the rest of the wizarding community. You won't get away with this, Snape. Just like you won't get away with destroying the Order's headquarters and killing our friends."

"Excuse me?" Severus raised his eyebrow and gave Molly his best confused expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Molly scoffed. "You can't fool us. We know you were likely involved in what happened last night. Hell, that's probably what's wrong with Narcissa Malfoy."

"I really have no idea what you're babbling on about, but it is not relevant to the incident with your son," Severus said. "As of this moment Ron Weasley is suspended and not allowed on school premises. I'll start proceedings for an expulsion, and you'll be informed of the hearing day when you can put your case forward. Until then, you may take your son and go home."

"What about my things?" Ron asked.

"We'll have your sister put them together and Professor McGonagall will deliver them to your home sometime tomorrow," Severus replied. "But for now, this meeting is over. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got school business to attend to."

With Severus ending the meeting, Molly and Arthur had little choice but to get to their feet and escort Ron from the premises. Although before they went, Molly once again insisted that they would fight any sort of expulsion, even though deep down she knew it would do no good. It looked like Ron's days at Hogwarts were over, now she just had to decide if she was also going to remove Ginny from the school or if she was going to let her youngest child stay on at Hogwarts.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny was far too stunned to react during Ron's outburst in the Great Hall, and she watched along with everyone else as he attacked Harry and Hermione. When Ron himself was hauled up against the wall she got worried that she was going to witness her brother's violent death, but luckily nothing had happened and her brother had been taken away by McGonagall. At the same time, Harry and Hermione had been escorted to the hospital wing to get checked over. A fair few Slytherins went with them, along with Professors Snape and Granger.

Of course their departure didn't do anything to stop the gossip, if anything people started talking even louder once the main players in the drama had gone. Still unsure of what had happened herself, Ginny found the letter that had triggered Ron's outburst and she headed out of the Great Hall to read it. Settling down at the bottom of the stairs, Ginny read the letter her mother had sent.

Immediately she could see why Ron had lost it. The letter contained nothing but bad news, and from the timing it didn't take a genius to work out Malfoy's sick mother coincided with the attack on Grimmauld Place. Either she'd been hurt in the attack, or else it had been an excuse to get Lucius and Draco out of school so they could partake in the attack. And of course, any attack meant Voldemort pulling the strings, and chances were Harry and Hermione knew all about it. They'd probably spent the night laughing at what was going on at Order Headquarters, or they could possibly have even been there.

Swiping at the tears that had fallen as she read about the attack and the losses of people she knew, Ginny shoved the letter in her pocket and headed for McGonagall's office. She wanted to know what was going on with Ron and the head of Gryffindor was about the only Professor she trusted anymore. When she reached McGonagall's office, the witch wasn't there so Ginny settled down in her classroom to wait for her.

Ginny was in McGonagall's classroom for well over an hour, before she heard the witch enter her office. This time when she knocked on the door, she got an immediate answer.

"Miss Weasley, come on in," McGonagall said, pulling the door open wider so that Ginny could enter the office.

"What's going on with Ron, is he in big trouble?"

"I'm afraid he is," McGonagall said as she settled herself down at her desk. "Ron's being suspended, and Professor Snape had every intention of expelling him."

"Can he do that?" Ginny asked, slumping down in the chair in front of McGonagall's desk in shock.

"He can, and while we may be on different sides of this war, I do back him on this decision," McGonagall said. "Ron's behaviour was unacceptable, and quite frankly suspension and possible expulsion was the only course of action Professor Snape could have taken."

"Will he get expelled?" Ginny questioned. "Can't my parents fight the decision?"

"They can, but I don't think it's going to do them any good," McGonagall said gently, giving Ginny a sympathetic smile. "Professor Snape wants him gone after today, and Lucius Malfoy is still head of governors, while Bernard Nott is the Minister. Two of them effectively have to come down on the side of your parents if Ron is to get back into school. Even if the staff vote for him to return, we can't enforce it without one of those three on board as well. And quite frankly giving the fact Lucius also has a staff vote, as does Hermione's mother, I'd say even that was unlikely. Although, it might all be in vain anyway depending on how things go with the Ministry."

"The Ministry?" Ginny frowned. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"Your brother used an unforgivable curse," McGonagall said gently. "Even with the new regime, it's still against the law to use one of the three unforgivable curses. The Ministry have been informed of this evening's incident, and then it's up to them how they proceed."

"Could he end up in Azkaban?" Ginny whispered.

"I think it's a strong possibility," McGonagall admitted.

"Damn Ron, why can't he ever keep his temper in check?" Ginny muttered.

McGonagall didn't say anything to the young witch, but personally she was shocked Ron had lasted so long before lashing out. The redhead had never been known for his control, and she'd suspected things would have come to a head a lot sooner. Although sadly she wasn't surprised that Ron had ended up on the wrong side of the fallout. She might despise what Hermione and Harry had done and who they were, but she had to admit they were both incredibly smart. After all, they had to be smart to have pulled the wool over everyone's eyes for five years. Unfortunately for Ron he hadn't been smart enough to take them on, and now he was out in the cold and he would have to try and forge a future for himself without qualifications, which wasn't going to be the easiest thing to do.

"I better get going," Ginny said with a sigh.

"Before you go, I have a request to make," McGonagall said. "Could you pack up your brother's belongings this evening? If you leave his packed trunk at the bottom of his bed, I can make sure it gets to him tomorrow."

"I can do that," Ginny replied sadly as she exited McGonagall's office.

Heading back up to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny thought about the past few months and she wished she and Ron had moved faster with their plans to start their own mini Order of the Phoenix. They'd thought they had a lot more time, but with Ron's suspension she was now on her own. And would anyone want to join her in fighting against Harry and Hermione now they'd seen what had happened to Ron? Not to mention what was going on with the rest of the Order. Things weren't looking good, and Ginny wasn't sure where she was going from here.

One thing Ginny did know was that she was stopping with the friendly act towards Harry and Hermione. The second she entered Gryffindor tower and found them both settled in front of the fire, a crowd of people surrounding them and offering them their sympathies she just lost it. How dare that pair sit around as though they were innocent when Ron had been suspended and half the Order were dead, missing or imprisoned.

"I hope the pair of you are happy," she seethed, storming over to the duo.

"Considering we've just been tortured, not really," Hermione replied, wincing slightly as she still felt tender after events in the Great Hall.

"Ron's gone, he's being suspended and he's going to get expelled," Ginny spat.

"It's no more than he deserves," Harry said with an unconcerned shrug. "And with any luck he'll be arrested and sent to Azkaban as well."

"He really needs to learn it's not on to attack people for no reason," Hermione added. "Maybe you should tell him that next time you see him. That is if you see him before he's carted away to Azkaban."

"Next time I see him, I'll congratulate him on hurting you two," Ginny retorted. "I only wish he'd done more damage."

"And finally the truth comes out," Harry chuckled. "I wondered how long it would be before your claws came out, Gin."

"Yeah, your act really wasn't very convincing," Hermione said. "Did you honestly think we thought we could trust you? We knew you felt the same way as Ron, you just hid your anger better."

"You didn't know," Ginny scoffed. "You both thought I was so stupid that I still had a crush on Harry, so I accepted things. Why else would Harry let me on the quidditch team?"

"To wind your brother up," Harry replied. "I'll admit you were good, probably one of the best chasers on show at try-outs. But I picked you simply because I knew it would get under Ron's skin."

"Liar," Ginny hissed, although she now didn't sound as sure of herself. She'd been so sure she'd been pulling the wool over Harry's eyes for the last few months, but now she didn't know if it had been him stringing her along and letting her think she had the upper hand.

"If you say so, Gin," Harry chuckled. "But since Ron's gone, and you've made it clear you have a problem with me, I think its best we find another chaser. Thanks for your help, Ginny, but we don't need you anymore."

"As if I'd want to play on your rotten team anyway," Ginny snorted. "I've got better things to do with my time than spend it with you."

"Yet here you are, conversing with us," Hermione pointed out.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Ginny spat. "Well you're not. You won't win this war. You might be on top now and you might think you hold all the cards, but don't get too cosy. Light always eclipses the darkness."

"I think you're confused there, Ginny," Hermione laughed. "An eclipse is darkness blocking out light. Dark snuffs out light, and that's just what we're going to do with the so called light side."

Feeling her temper rising, and not wanting to end up in trouble like Ron, Ginny gave Hermione one final glare before she turned and stalked off upstairs to sort Ron's things. Her brother may not be at school, but he wasn't completely out of commission just yet and she knew that like her Ron wouldn't give up on the fight. They would fight to the bitter end to ensure that Voldemort, his family and the dark side didn't end up victorious in the war that had just taken a rather brutal turn with the attack on Grimmauld Place.

* * *

 **A/N – I just want to thank everyone for their support of this story, and to announce that on Wednesday I will be starting to publish and accompanying collection for the COTD series. The collection will feature a bit of everyone from the series and will cover a wide variety of times. Some pieces will pre-date the series – like scenes with Beth and Voldemort in the early years and the trio's childhood. Some will take place during the series – which will be moments that were mentioned but never focused on, or just pieces that didn't quite make the cut of the final story. And finally, some will be set after year 7 – although there will be no future pieces published until near the end of year 7 as I don't want to give any spoilers away. So if there's anything anyone would like to see, please send me a PM or mention it in a review. I will be making a note of every request, and I'll try and fulfill as many as possible, while also trying to write the dozens of pieces I've already got planned.**


	26. Chapter 26

Hermione woke up feeling slightly sore, and she wasn't sure if it was down to the brief exposure of the Cruciatius curse she'd suffered the previous day or if it was just a combination of being hit with the curse after a night where she hadn't had much sleep. Either way, she wasn't felling her best as she got dressed and headed down to meet Harry in the common room.

"Morning," Harry greeted her brightly.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Hermione grouched.

"Why are you so moody?" Harry countered. "Seriously, what's got you in such a foul mood? Shouldn't we be celebrating Ron's departure? No more Weasel to put up with."

"It would have been better if he could have gone without torturing us," Hermione retorted.

"It wasn't like it was too bad," Harry replied with a shrug. In actual fact the curse had hurt like hell, but he didn't want people to worry about him so he was brushing the incident off slightly. "I'm sure a lot of people could have done worse than Ron. It was a pretty weak attempt."

"Weak or not, it was still an attempt I could have lived without experiencing," Hermione shot back.

Sensing his aunt was only going to argue with whatever he said, Harry gave up as they headed out of the common room and down towards the Great Hall. Fortunately as they came down the stairs the Slytherins were coming up from the dungeons, and Hermione rushed down the last few stairs and into Draco's arms.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked his girlfriend, slightly taken aback by the way Hermione had launched himself at him.

"Just a bit tired and sore," Hermione admitted.

"Do you need to go and see Madam Pomfrey?" Draco checked, worried in case there was something wrong with Hermione after her ordeal the previous day.

"I'll be fine," Hermione insisted. "How are you today? How's Narcissa?"

"I was up early and spoke to my Father. He said Mother had a good night's rest," Draco replied. "I'm going to see her at lunchtime."

"Give her my love," Hermione said.

"I will," Draco promised. "Do you fancy sitting with us for breakfast?"

"Gryffindors at the Slytherin table, what will people say?" Hermione chuckled.

"Screw what people say," Draco snorted. "I want to eat with my girlfriend, and there's no rules about eating at other house tables at general meals. The only time you have to be at your house table is big feasts, like the start of term."

"What did you do, look up the rules?" Harry asked with an amused laugh.

"I just asked Severus," Draco replied with a shrug. "But if you don't want to join us, Harry, feel free to eat with the Gryffindors. I'm sure the Weaselette will be lonely without her brother, maybe she'll welcome your company."

"Not after last night she won't," Harry chuckled.

Heading into the Great Hall, Hermione and Harry joined the Slytherins as Harry filled them in on what had happened with Ginny the previous evening. Of course the Slytherin's had all known that Ron had been suspended, with legal action also hanging over his head, as they'd all been in the hospital wing as Harry and Hermione had been checked over.

While Harry was telling his story, Hermione leant her head against Draco's shoulder. Draco frowned down at his girlfriend in concern as he slipped his arm around her waist.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked in a whisper.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied. "I just need a good night's rest and maybe a nice bath to ease my aches and pains."

"I'm sure I can help with both tonight," Draco replied with a smile. "How about this evening we take a trip to the prefects' bathroom and end the night in our special room?"

"That sounds like heaven," Hermione admitted, smiling up at Draco. Already she felt better just thinking of spending a relaxing evening with her boyfriend.

"It's certainly something to look forward to," Draco said. "But right now, the best I can do is breakfast. If I were you, I'd grab a sausage before Vince and Greg get their eyes on them. Once they've spotted the sausages, they go fast."

"Juice will be just fine," Hermione replied.

"You really should eat something," Draco said with a frown.

"Yes Mum," Hermione muttered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed herself a glass of cranberry juice and just to keep Draco quiet she added a slice of toast to her plate.

Draco watched Hermione nibble at her toast, before reaching for his own food. As he ate, he tried to encourage Hermione to eat some more, but all she managed was the initial slice of toast she picked up. Even the speciality of the Hogwarts house elves, scrambled eggs with ham pieces, didn't appeal to her when it appeared on the table. Despite his concern, Draco knew better than to press Hermione into eating. He just made the decision that if she was still off colour the next day he would force her to go and see Madam Pomfrey, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder and take her there by force.

By the time most people were starting to finish their breakfast the first of the post owls arrived. Draco didn't expect an owl from home, as neither of his parents were there, but an owl carrying an edition of the Daily Prophet landed in front of him at the same time as one landed in front of Hermione. For the last few years they'd both subscribed to the paper so they'd been able to keep up with how the war was going and what Voldemort was up to.

"Give me one of those," Harry said, reaching across the table and taking Hermione's paper from her hands before she'd even had a chance to unroll it. "You don't need two."

Letting her nephew have the paper, Hermione leant closer to Draco as he unfurled the paper and spread it on the table in front of him. The front page of the paper was dominated by a picture of Sirius, and the headline proclaiming he'd been caught and was back in Azkaban.

"Such a shame," Draco muttered sarcastically, as he opened the paper to read the full story.

Together Hermione and Draco devoured the story, as Harry and Daphne did the same across the table. The article wasn't exactly full of details, and it was very clear the Ministry weren't going to talk about things further. The Ministry had merely announced that Sirius had been recaptured and was currently back in Azkaban. It was also mentioned that the Ministry knew exactly how he'd escaped before and measures were in place so that it couldn't happen again.

The beginning of the article was just what they'd expected, but half way down things took an interesting turn when it was mentioned Sirius was captured in a hideout, and some of the people suspected of keeping him hidden had gotten away. It also mentioned that some of his cohorts had been killed in the ensuing capture. Although even more surprising was the news that Aurors, Kingsley Shackelbolt and Nymphadora Tonks, had been killed in the same scuffle. Even though it wasn't explicitly stated, it was certainly implied that Sirius had been the one to kill the two Aurors. Anyone who didn't know the truth would read the article and think Kingsley and Tonks had lost their lives trying to apprehend a murderer.

"Impressive," Draco chuckled as they reached the end of the article. "Black certainly comes out of things looking bad."

"And it's going to be hard for the families of Kingsley and Tonks to deny the claims they were killed in the line of duty," Hermione said. "If they deny the implied reports, it'll then be claimed they were helping Sirius and were on his side."

"Which they were," Draco pointed out with a chuckle.

"We know that, and the Order know that, but to the general public Sirius is still a mass murderer," Hermione said. "Dumbledore never bothered to clear his name, so no-one but a select few actually know that he was falsely accused of killing Pettigrew and all those muggles. To everyone else, he's a dangerous criminal and it won't do the reputations of Tonks or Kingsley any good to be linked to him."

"I'm sure the Order will still protest though," Draco said.

"What's left of them," Hermione snorted dismissively. "Face it, we're down to Weasleys and Lupin now. Everyone else of importance is gone."

"And we don't really know what sort of state Lupin is in," Draco mused. "He may have escaped, but he could still be seriously hurt. He could have just crawled off to die."

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later," Hermione replied as she turned back to the paper and flicked through to see what else was happening in the world.

Ten minutes later, breakfast was finished and everyone left the Great Hall to begin classes. The rest of the day passed like any other, aside from the fact Draco disappeared at lunchtime to go and see his mother. During afternoon classes, he filled Hermione in on how Narcissa was faring, which thankfully was rather well and it was hoped she'd be back home in a few days' time. After classes, Hermione spent an hour studying in the library before dinner, and after dinner she headed off to spend a relaxing evening with Draco.

The evening started in the prefects' bathroom, where the couple shared a relaxing bath. Hermione's fear of the water had all but disappeared by this point, although she still preferred to only use the prefects' bathroom when she was with Draco. When Draco was with her she knew nothing would happen to her, whereas she wasn't sure if she would be so comfortable if she was alone.

After a soothing bath the couple retreated to the magical room, where they settled into the room they'd come to think of as theirs over the course of the year. With a soft plush sofa in front of a roaring fire and a luxurious king size bed the couple were spoilt for choice where they settled down. Since the evening was supposed to be about soothing Hermione's aches and pains, Draco suggested that he gave her a massage. No sooner had he suggested it then some massage oils appeared beside the bed and dozens of floating candles popped into existence, giving the room a soft, gentle glow.

"It seems rude to say no now," Hermione chuckled, taking in the changes the room had made at just a suggestion of Draco's.

"You mean you were going to say no?" Draco asked in mock outrage. "I don't do this for everyone you know. You have to be special to get my hands all over you."

"I know, I'm a very lucky girl," Hermione chuckled as she began to undress.

Once Hermione was naked, she settled herself on the bed and Draco got to work easing her aches and pains. For a while Draco managed to massage Hermione as he'd intended, but he could only last so long before running his hands over his girlfriend's naked body began to affect him. Ever so slowly the massage turned into him teasing Hermione, and before long he had her panting and moaning for him. Quickly shedding his clothes, he joined Hermione on the bed and the evening took a sensual turn after its relaxing beginning.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Forty eight hours after launching their attack on Order headquarters, Voldemort sat in his study contemplating his next move. On a whole the move to attack the Order had been successful, although there had been a few things that hadn't gone their way. Narcissa's injury was the main one, but Voldemort was still stinging over Bellatrix trying to kill Beth and ending up dead. Of course he was very grateful to Narcissa for saving his wife's life, but he couldn't help but feel that Bellatrix had gotten off lightly. If he'd gotten his hands on her, she would have suffered greatly before meeting her maker.

The other incident that was bothering Voldemort had occurred the previous day when one of the Weasley children had attacked Harry and Hermione. Of course since it had happened at Hogwarts, Severus had dealt with it and Ron had been suspended, but Voldemort wasn't going to just let what had happened rest. He knew Severus had already started proceedings to have Ron expelled, and legal proceedings had been launched, but that wasn't enough punishment for Voldemort. He wanted his own retribution on the young wizard who dared to curse his daughter and grandson. Expulsion and imprisonment wasn't enough punishment for the boy who'd dared to hurt his family.

Voldemort mused on the best course of action for another few minutes before he called for two of his most trusted Death Eaters, Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Within five minutes the Carrows had arrived, ready to carry out whatever task Voldemort assigned them.

"The task I'm about to give you must be handled with care," Voldemort began. "I want someone killed, but it has to look like an accident. No matter how much fuss their family kick up, I want everyone to believe they're just grief stricken and talking nonsense. I want every expert they could consult to agree that what happened is just a tragic accident and nothing untoward occurred."

"You can count on us," Amycus reassured The Dark Lord.

"I do have a second requirement," Voldemort said. "While this death must look like an accident, I want it to be painful. I want the little toad to suffer. I want him to break before you finish him off, is that understood?"

"Yes My Lord," Alecto replied with an evil smirk. "Don't worry, we can inflict as much pain as you desire."

"I desire a lot of pain," Voldemort replied. "Now onto the victim. I want you to kill Ron Weasley. He's the youngest of Molly and Arthur's sons and he's just been suspended from Hogwarts. Any day now he's going to be expelled permanently, but it doesn't matter if you kill him before the verdict is reached. All I care about is that he dies as soon as possible and as painfully as possibly."

"Consider it done," Amycus said with a respectful nod.

Voldemort nodded back to the Carrows as he dismissed them. While it would have been satisfying to deal with Ron himself, he knew he didn't have the necessary control. True, he could have just torn the young wizard limb from limb, but then the Weasleys might gain some sympathy and people might agree that he was dangerous. But doing it this way, Ron could be dealt with and no blame would come his way. Try as they might, the Weasleys would never be able to pin anything on anyone from the dark. As far as the wizarding would was concerned Ron Weasley was about to die in a tragic accident.


	27. Chapter 27

Draco wasn't sure what woke him, but one minute he was sleeping peacefully and the next he was jolting awake. Confusion reigned for a few seconds as he realised he wasn't in the Slytherins dorms, but then he remembered he was with Hermione in their private room. Reaching for Hermione, he rolled over to go back to sleep but he frowned when his hand landed on the empty bed. Quick as a flash, he sat up and reaching for his wand he lit up the room.

The sight that greeted him immediately had him panicking. Hermione was sitting on the edge of her bed, one of her arms wrapped around her torso. However, more disturbing was the rasping sounds coming from Hermione as she clearly struggled to breathe.

"Hermione." Jumping out of bed, Draco raced around to Hermione's side, only to find tears streaming down Hermione's face as she struggled to breathe.

"It hurts," She manged to gasp. "I can't breathe."

"It's okay sweetheart," Draco soothed. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Joining Hermione on the side of the bed, Draco ran his hand through his girlfriend's hair as he gently calmed her down. His instincts were to go and get help, but there was no way he was leaving Hermione until he was sure she was okay and right now she was not okay. Slowly, Hermione began to calm down and as she became calmer she found it easier to get her breath.

"What hurts?" Draco asked when he thought Hermione could speak without hurting herself.

"My side," Hermione whispered softly. "And my stomach. It feels like I'm been eaten alive from the inside."

"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey," Draco insisted as he jumped to his feet. However, as he did so he suddenly realised they were both stark naked. "Although, we need to get dressed first. You just sit there, and I'll help you in a second."

Running around to the other side of the bed, Draco had barely yanked his trousers on when he saw Hermione topple off the bed. It all happened so quickly, he didn't have to chance to save her but he was at her side as quickly as he could.

"Hermione," He cried in panic when he found his girlfriend's eyes were closed.

Feeling her neck, he was relieved to find a pulse, although he did think it could be possibly be fainter than it should be. Knowing he needed to get his girlfriend to the hospital wing as soon as possible, Draco grabbed his wand and used magic to slip her shirt and skirt back on. He then yanked his own shirt on, not bothering to fasten it, and using magic to help with Hermione's weight he lifted her into his arms. Making sure to grab Hermione's wand as well, he left everything else behind as he hurried out of the room and towards the hospital wing.

The trip to the hospital wing seemed to take forever, but finally Draco burst through the doors. Finding the hospital wing empty and no sign of Madam Pomfrey, Draco carefully settled Hermione down on the nearest bed. After quickly checking Hermione was still breathing, Draco ran to Madam Pomfrey's office and bursting through the room, he hammered on the door that led to her living quarters. It took Madam Pomfrey longer than Draco would have liked to open the door, but finally she appeared in a long pink dressing gown looking extremely annoyed to have had her beauty sleep interrupted.

"Mr Malfoy, it's the middle of the night," Madam Pomfrey hissed. "This better be good."

"Hermione's collapsed," Draco explained quickly. "She said her side and stomach were hurting and it felt as though she was being eaten alive from the inside. She was also having trouble breathing. But then she just collapsed."

"You were with Miss Granger in the middle of the night?" Madam Pomfrey asked with a disapproving glare as she hurried through her office and into the hospital wing.

"That's not really important right now," Draco snapped, not caring that he was being rude to a member of staff. Right now all he cared about was Hermione, and making sure she was okay.

Madam Pomfrey shot Draco another disapproving look, before she focused her attention on Hermione. Almost as soon as she began to examine Hermione, her face broke out into a concerned frown and Draco guessed whatever was wrong with Hermione was serious. Although if it had anything to do with the curse Ron had thrown at her, he vowed there and then that he was track the Weasel down and make him suffer.

"What is it? Will she be okay?" Draco asked as Madam Pomfrey continued to quietly examine Hermione.

"I think you should go and get Professors Snape and Granger," Madam Pomfrey said, not tearing her eyes away from Hermione.

"I'm not going anywhere," Draco insisted. "Send a messages to them."

With a frustrated huff, Madam Pomfrey called for one of the house elves and Draco mentally kicked himself for not doing that when Hermione had collapsed. When the elf appeared, Madam Pomfrey gave it a message to pass onto Beth and Severus, and the elf disappeared again with a small pop. With the elf gone, Madam Pomfrey turned her attention back to her patient while Draco was left standing next to Hermione's bed, waiting to find out just what was going on with his girlfriend.

A few minutes later, Draco still didn't know what the situation with Hermione was, but he was hopeful of answers when Severus burst into the hospital wing. His godfather was wearing a pair of trousers, and like Draco he had a shirt on but it wasn't fastened. Moments later Beth appeared, having also hastily dressed in a pair of loose trousers and a dark green tank top.

"What the hell is going on?" Beth cried. "What's wrong with my daughter?"

"She collapsed after complaining of being in pain," Draco supplied. "But I don't know what's wrong with her as I haven't been told anything."

"Poppy?" Severus demanded in a sharp bark.

"Her middle is tender and shows signs of swelling," Madam Pomfrey replied. "I think she could have an internal injury we may have missed yesterday."

"You mean an injury you may have missed," Beth hissed angrily. "I swear, if anything happens to my daughter you'll regret the shoddy treatment you gave her."

"I treated your daughter perfectly adequately," Madam Pomfrey protested. "She didn't seem to be in any real discomfort."

"Let's not argue now," Severus said sharply. "I think we need to get Hermione to hospital."

"I'll contact St Mungo's and arrange a transfer," Madam Pomfrey said stiffly.

"No," Beth snapped, glaring at the medi-witch. "We're taking her to a private hospital. Severus and I will arrange it."

"Harry needs to be told what's going on," Severus said. "Draco, I want you to go and get him. Meet us back here and we'll all go with Hermione. I take it you know where Gryffindor Tower is located?"

"I do, but I need the password," Draco replied. "And what if The Fat Lady won't let me in? She'll know I'm a Slytherin."

"The password if firebird," Severus told his godson. "And if The Fat Lady gives you any problems tell her that I'll make sure her portrait is moved to the darkest part of the castle where she will never again see another soul."

Nodding his head, Draco gave Hermione a peck on the forehead before rushing off and leaving Severus and Beth to sort out Hermione's transfer. As he ran through the corridors, Draco suddenly realised he was shoeless so he took a quick detour to the room he and Hermione had been using, before carrying on to Gryffindor Tower. As he expected, The Fat Lady gave him grief when he woke her up to gain access to the tower, but Severus's threat had her reluctantly opening the hidden doorway for him.

Rushing into the common room, Draco didn't even take in his surroundings as he quickly located the stairs and sprinted across the room. Once at the bottom of the stairs, he faced a dilemma as to which way to go, so he took a chance and ran up the right hand staircase. As he passed each room, he looked at the number printed on the door until he reached the sixth years room. Not caring if he was entering the girls rooms by accident, Draco pushed open the door and entered the room. Fortunately it was the right room as the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated his best friend lying in the bed nearest to the door.

"Harry," Draco hissed loudly as he gave his best friend a shake.

"What?" Harry mumbled groggily as he was jolted out of his sleep.

"Get up, Hermione's collapsed and she's going to be moved to hospital," Draco supplied.

Despite still being half asleep, Harry hopped out of bed and quickly grabbed his clothes. Of course the noise had awoken the others in the room and they watched as Harry and Draco darted out of the dorm. Sprinting back through the common room, the pair exited Gryffindor Tower at rapid pace as they raced to the hospital wing. By the time they arrived in the hospital wing, a couple of medi-wizards were getting ready to take Hermione away. Beth and Severus were overseeing the whole thing, while Madam Pomfrey watched from the door of her office, clearly put out by the fact she wasn't needed or wanted.

"Come on you two," Severus called from beside the fireplace that was situated over the far side of the hospital wing.

Harry and Draco rushed over to Severus's side, and after the medi-wizards had taken Hermione through the connection, everyone else carried on through the fire, where they found Voldemort waiting for them. Obviously Beth had contacted her husband while Draco had been getting Harry. Hermione had been taken to the same private hospital that Narcissa was still residing in. Like with Narcissa a few days earlier, Hermione was immediately whisked away by a group of healers as Beth filled in one of the team on recent events. After that there was then nothing more to do than sit in the waiting room nearest to the room where Hermione had been taken and wait for news.

"What exactly happened?" Harry asked his best friend.

"I woke up to find Hermione sitting on the side of the bed, clutching her side," Draco answered. In other circumstances he would be nervous about letting on he and Hermione were sleeping together in front of her parents and brother, but at the moment all that mattered was Hermione and getting to the bottom of what was wrong with her. "She was struggling to breathe so I calmed her down and that was when she told me how much pain she was in. I was getting ready to take her to the hospital wing when she suddenly collapsed."

"I guess we should be grateful you were with her," Voldemort said, giving Draco a look that clearly implied they would be discussing why they were together in the middle of the night once Hermione was on her feet again. "I'd hate to think what would have happened if she'd collapsed in her own dorm. I'm not so sure the girls she shares a room with would help her."

"Probably not," Harry said. "They didn't like Hermione much in the first place."

"Let's not think about what could have happened," Beth said. "Draco was there and thanks to him, Hermione's in the best hands available."

Voldemort gave a brief nod as he took hold of his wife's hand while silence filled the waiting room. The group sat in silence for nearly half an hour before a tired looking healer entered the room and introduced himself as Healer Jenkins.

"Your daughter is stable," Healer Jenkins informed Voldemort and Beth.

"But?" Voldemort prompted, sensing there was more to come and it wasn't good news.

"She's stable, but still in critical condition," Healer Jenkins continued. "We've done a thorough exam and found some serious internal damage. From what we were told, I would say the majority of it was sustained when she was hit with the Cruciatius curse. But what I don't understand is why this wasn't picked up at the time. Wasn't she examined after the incident?"

"She was, by the school's medi-witch," Severus answered. "She assured us that both Hermione and Harry were fine."

"Someone else was hit with the curse?" Healer Jenkins asked with a frown.

"Not the same curse, I was hit first then Hermione," Harry supplied.

"I think we better check you out as well, just to be sure," Healer Jenkins mused.

"Okay, but let's deal with Hermione first," Harry said. "Will she be okay?"

"As I said, she's got some severe internal injuries, including some major damage to one of her kidneys. Right now, we can't say what's going to happen with Hermione, but the worst case scenario will see her losing her kidney."

"You can live with one though, can't you?" Harry checked.

"You can, but we think she's got some minor damage to her other one as well," Healer Jenkins answered. "If she has to have one removed, she's going to need a transplant. But that's all in the future, right now we have to concentrate on making her comfortable. She's undergone some major damage, and she's just very lucky she was admitted when she was."

"How lucky?" Beth asked.

"If her injuries were left much longer they could have killed her," Healer Jenkins answered. "And the worst thing is, it's all been so preventable. One simple potion to alleviate the internal bruising and some rest when she was initially hit with the curse could have saved all this hassle. Of course she still could have had problems with her kidney, but nothing as severe."

"Will one of us be able to donate a kidney if Hermione needs one?" Draco asked. He was feeling guilty that when Hermione should have been resting they'd been indulging in fun, albeit slightly more restrained than normal, but it was still more strenuous action than Hermione should have been indulging in.

"Anyone who wants to can be tested to see if they're a match," Healer Jenkins replied. "We can sort that when it becomes necessary. But for now, I should get back to Hermione. Hopefully you can see her in an hour or so, when hopefully we'll have a clearer view on how things are shaping up."

"Thank you," Voldemort said, nodding politely to the healer as he left the room.

"I'm going to kill Poppy Pomfrey," Beth swore in a low hiss, once they were alone again.

"Not to mention Ron," Harry snarled. "He did this. He cursed Hermione and caused this damage."

"Weasley is being taken care of, don't worry about him," Voldemort told his grandson.

"And Madam Pomfrey is out of a job," Severus said.

"She's more than out of a job," Voldemort snapped. "If she'd done her job properly, Hermione wouldn't be here. She's going to pay for not doing her job properly."

"Let me handle her," Beth said to her husband.

"She's all yours," Voldemort promised his vengeful wife as they settled back to wait for more news on Hermione.


	28. Chapter 28

As they waited for news on Hermione, Harry got checked out by a healer who gave him a potion to help ease a bit of internal bruising he'd been suffering from. Thankfully Harry's bruising wasn't as bad as Hermione's, so he'd been in no risk of collapsing like his aunt. Even so, it was just another display of the lax job Madam Pomfrey had done looking after the pair.

Also as they waited for news, everyone got themselves tested to see if they would be a match for Hermione if she needed a kidney. Since they were in the same hospital where Narcissa was still residing, Draco went to visit his parents and filled them in on what was happening. Lucius had immediately headed off to speak to Voldemort, Beth and Severus and he also volunteered to get himself tested in case Hermione needed a kidney. By the time Beth and Voldemort could go and see their daughter, everyone had been tested and they would just have to wait for the results. Although they were also waiting to see if such drastic treatment was needed as for the time being Hermione had stabilised.

By breakfast time, Draco and Harry still hadn't been able to see Hermione, so Severus had agreed to give them the morning off school. However, he'd still had to pop back to Hogwarts to sort a few things with McGonagall. During his trip back at school, he announced that all Potions and Dark Arts lessons were cancelled for the day, and he asked McGonagall to arrange for Madam Pomfrey to be in his office at lunchtime. He'd then left the deputy headmistress in charge as he'd returned to see his sister.

By mid-morning, Draco and Harry were allowed to go and visit Hermione. By this point, Beth, Voldemort and Severus had all been in to see her, so the pair were her final visitors of the morning. With strict instructions not to be too long, and not to get her excited, Harry and Draco rushed into the room where Hermione was lying.

"Hey," Hermione whispered with a weak smile as her boyfriend and nephew entered the room.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked, taking in the sight of his girlfriend. Hermione was lying in the hospital bed as pale as he'd ever seen her and it looked like it was an effort for her to even keep her eyes open.

"Awful," Hermione replied. "But thanks to you, I'm alive. You're my hero."

"Anytime," Draco replied with a grin as he leant down and gently brushed his lips against Hermione's forehead.

"Don't go feeding his ego, Hermione," Harry joked as he also gave his aunt a quick peck on the forehead.

"He is a hero," Hermione insisted.

"I know," Harry begrudgingly admitted. "I just don't like to dwell on what would have happened if you two hadn't been up to no good in the middle of the night."

"Speaking of which, your parents know we were in bed together," Draco warned his girlfriend.

"You told them?" Hermione questioned, her eyes widening in surprise.

"It was kind of hard to avoid," Draco replied with a shrug. "I did turn up to the hospital wing with you in my arms in the middle of the night."

"You could have come up with some sort of excuse as to why we were together," Hermione muttered.

"If I'd been thinking clearly, I'm sure I would have managed it. However, I was far more preoccupied with making sure you were okay," Draco replied. "I'll just have to deal with your father."

"Rather you than me," Harry said with a mischievous smirk.

"Shut it, Harry," Draco muttered, glaring at his friend.

Harry chuckled slightly, before turning back to his aunt. "So do you know how long you'll be in here for?"

"It all depends," Hermione answered. "Right now, I'm stable, but they need to run some tests on my kidneys. The healer was trying to play it down, but it sounded to me like he thought I would need a transplant."

"Well we've all been tested," Harry told his aunt. "One of us is bound to be a match for you."

"And I'm sure the others will all get tested when we tell them what's happening," Draco added.

"That's nice," Hermione said quietly as her eyes started to flutter shut.

"We should go," Harry said.

"Yeah, we should," Draco agreed as he got to his feet. Leaning over Hermione he gave her another kiss. "I love you. We'll be back to see you soon."

"We'll be here all the time," Harry agreed, squeezing his aunt's hand.

Hermione managed a small smile, but even before the pair had left the room her eyes had closed again. When Draco and Harry returned to the waiting room, Beth headed into Hermione's room to sit with her daughter. Draco expected Voldemort to join his wife, especially since Severus announced it was time they got back to school, but The Dark Lord remained in the waiting room.

"Draco, a word before you leave," Voldemort said.

"Come through the floo in reception when you're finished," Severus told his godson. "You'll land in my office."

"He'll be right behind you," Voldemort said as his son and grandson left the waiting room. Once he was alone with Draco, he turned to the blond wizard and found him anxiously biting his lower lip. "Don't worry Draco, you're not in trouble."

"That's a relief," Draco muttered, visibly relaxing.

"I just want to thank you for saving Hermione's life," Voldemort said.

"It was nothing," Draco returned.

"No, it was everything," Voldemort corrected. "I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to my little girl."

"I was just in the right place," Draco replied without thinking. However, the second he spoke he regretted his choice of words as he'd just reminded Voldemort where he and Hermione had been when she'd collapsed.

"I don't want to really dwell on that too much," Voldemort replied with a slight grimace. "I like you Draco, and it's only natural that things between you and Hermione will get more serious as you grow up. I'm hoping one day it might even become official between the pair of you. However, as much as I like you and approve of your relationship with my daughter I will not be happy if a pregnancy was to occur while you were both so young. Is that understood?"

"Yes, My Lord," Draco replied with a nod of his head. He got the message loud and clear, whatever he did he wasn't to get Hermione pregnant.

"Just be careful," Voldemort reiterated. "Now off you go back to school. I'm sure I'll see you later this evening, or tomorrow."

Muttering a goodbye, Draco rushed out of the waiting room as fast as his legs could carry him. Draco had expected more of a reaction from Voldemort, and he wanted to leave before the dark wizard decided he wasn't happy with Draco sleeping with his daughter. As it was, Draco felt he was lucky to just get away with a warning about safe sex. He wasn't going to push his luck and hang around in case Voldemort had a change of heart and decided he wasn't happy about his daughter being sexually active.

Returning to the reception, he used the floo to travel back to Hogwarts and as expected he landed in Severus's office. Draco was pleased to find Harry was waiting for him, and after Severus promised they could visit Hermione again that evening the pair headed off to grab some lunch.

As they headed down the castle, they found themselves caught up in the throngs of students going for their lunch. On the second floor they ran into the other Slytherins, and they were quickly joined by Luna, who was followed along the corridor by Ginny.

"No Hermione?" Ginny called as she passed. "Gone, is she?"

"She's perfectly fine," Harry replied. "No thanks to your brother. I swear if I ever get my hands on Ron, I'll kill him."

"You'll never get your hands on Ron," Ginny vowed. "If anyone's going to be killed, it's you lot. You should run, Luna. This bunch will only get you killed."

"Bugger off Weaselette," Blaise snarled, wrapping his arm around Luna.

"Give Hermione my love, we're all dying for her to get back," Ginny said with a smirk. "Not," She added with a malicious chuckle. "With any luck the bitch is gone for good."

"How horrible," Luna murmured as Ginny practically ran down the remaining few stairs and into the Great Hall. "I always thought Ginny was quite nice, but that was just horrid."

"People always show their true colours in the end," Harry replied with a shrug.

"Enough about that little madam," Daphne said. "How's Hermione? And what exactly happened?"

"Yeah, all we know is what Thomas, Finnigan and Longbottom were telling people," Theo added.

"And what were they telling people?" Draco asked.

"That you went rushing into Gryffindor Tower in the middle of the night to wake Harry because Hermione had collapsed and was in hospital," Blaise answered. "When we heard the news we went to the hospital wing, but all Madam Pomfrey would say was that she'd been moved to a hospital."

"She's in the same one as my mother," Draco supplied. "Let's go and sit down, and we can tell you everything."

Even though Harry and Luna weren't Slytherins, the group just made their way over to the Slytherin table and settled down. As they grabbed some food, Harry and Draco filled the group in on what had happened to Hermione and what the situation currently was.

"Bloody Weasley, he needs sorting," Theo hissed angrily.

"I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him sooner or later," Harry replied.

"I want to be tested if Hermione needs a kidney or anything else," Daphne said, taking hold of Harry's hand.

"Me too," Luna said. "I'd like to help."

"We all would," Blaise agreed from beside Luna. "Just say the word and we'll all be there getting tested."

"Speak for yourself," Pansy huffed. "Sorry, but I'm not giving up a part of my body for anyone."

"Don't worry Pans, I doubt Hermione would want your kidney," Draco drawled. "Who would want something to bitter inside of them?"

Pansy glowered at Draco as the other Slytherins chuckled. With an annoyed snort when she got no support, she got to her feet and stomped off to sit further down the table. No-one bothered with Pansy's departure, and ignoring the bitter witch they continued to talk about Hermione and what they could do to help her get better.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Less than five minutes after Harry and Draco had left his office, Severus was disturbed from his thoughts by a knock on the door. At first he was tempted to ignore it and just go and seek some comfort from Rosmerta, but then he remembered the meeting he'd asked McGonagall to organise. Remembering the shoddy treatment his sister had received from the school nurse, Severus stalked over to the door and pulled it open with a scowl. Standing on the other side of the door stood a sheepish looking Madam Pomfrey and a calm and composed McGonagall.

"Come in," Severus barked as he opened the door for the two witches to enter.

"You don't mind if I stay, do you?" McGonagall asked.

"Of course not," Severus replied. He waited until the two women were seated in front of his desk, before he stalked back to his own seat and settled down.

"How's Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Stable, but still critical," Severus answered. "We're awaiting further tests, but right now it's looking like she's going to need a kidney transplant."

"But she'll live?" McGonagall checked.

"No thanks to Poppy," Severus snarled.

"I did my best," Madam Pomfrey protested. "I checked her over, and she didn't complain of any interior soreness. Yes, she was in pain, but it was a weak version of the curse."

"Weak or not, it still caused significant damage," Severus argued. "You should have checked both her and Harry out thoroughly. The healers at the hospital were pretty disgusted that her bruising wasn't picked up. If it had been, this could have all been avoidable."

"I did my best," Madam Pomfrey repeated in a small voice.

"Well, your best nearly got my sister killed," Severus snapped. "It's just not good enough, and I cannot allow you to remain at your post. You have the rest of the day to pack your bags and leave the premises."

"Severus, just think about this," McGonagall pleaded as Madam Pomfrey burst into tears beside her. "Poppy has been at the school for years. She's a good medi-witch. We need her."

"What we need is someone who can do their job and won't brush students off if they don't happen to like their families," Severus replied. "My decision is final."

Stifling her sobs, Madam Pomfrey got to her feet and thanking McGonagall for her support she fled from the headmaster's office. McGonagall watched her go with a shake of her head, before she turned her attention back to Severus.

"You're making a mistake," She warned.

"She's incompetent," Severus snorted. "She's missed something that could have cost my sister her life."

"She didn't do it on purpose," McGonagall argued.

"Didn't she?" Severus returned with a raised eyebrow. "Is there anything else, because I have things to do."

"There is actually," McGonagall replied stiffly. It was very clear she didn't agree with how Severus was running things, and he could tell she was just dying to jump in and take charge. "The staffing situation. We're now in need of a school nurse, and Potions and Dark Arts need sorting. I appreciate Lucius's wife is ill and Beth's daughter is in hospital, but we have a duty to teach the students. We can't keep cancelling classes."

"As of tomorrow, classes will be back to normal," Severus promised. "Narcissa will be going home either tonight or tomorrow morning, so Lucius will be back teaching tomorrow. Since we're still unsure on Hermione's condition, I'm not so sure about Beth, but if she's not back I'll be taking her classes."

"And Poppy's replacement?" McGonagall asked.

"I'll get on it this afternoon," Severus vowed.

With her problems sorted, McGonagall had no choice but to leave the headmaster's office. The second she was gone, Severus leapt into action. The first thing he did was go back to the hospital to inform Beth that Madam Pomfrey was gone, and she could now handle things how she wished. He then set about sorting himself a new medi-witch, one who could start immediately, and then he had to think about Potions and Dark Arts. Even with everything that was going on, he knew he needed to keep the school running smoothly. After all, at the moment the dark had everything under control in regards to the power they were gathering in the wizarding world. The last thing they wanted was for a rebellion to occur because of problems at Hogwarts. Severus would have to steady the ship and make sure that no-one had anything to complain about in regards to the school and how it was run.


	29. Chapter 29

Almost a week after being given the task of killing Ron, Alecto and Amycus watched the redhead as he left his family home and made the small trip down to the nearby lake. After they'd found out Voldemort's daughter had been hospitalised following Ron's attack on her, they did wonder if The Dark Lord would want to handle things himself, but he'd still entrusted the task to the pair. Both of them suspected he'd handed the task over to them as if he handled things himself there would be very little of the redhead left to identify, and such a brutal murder would change how the wizarding world saw him and his supporters.

Over the last several days the siblings had been watching the family of redheads, looking for the opportune time to strike. Fortunately for them, Ron had developed a habit of leaving the safety of the family home and heading down to the nearby lake to sulk. By now the pair knew his routine, and they also knew that aside from his mother, Molly, the rest of his family were all at work. Even so, they used a quick spell to detect any presence inside The Burrow just in case someone else was in there aside from Molly.

"Just the old woman," Alecto told her brother.

"She's no bother," Amycus replied.

"Today?" Alecto questioned.

"Today," Amycus confirmed with a nod. Neither of them had wanted to rush in to deal with Ron as they knew The Dark Lord expected perfection, but now they were confident they could move and pull off what he wanted without a fuss.

The pair had been watching The Burrow under disillusionment charms, and they kept the charms in place as they followed Ron down to the lake. As usual, he settled himself down on the banks of the small body of water, muttering to himself. The siblings suspected he was trying to think of some way in which to gain revenge on Harry, Hermione and the dark, but sadly for Ron his revenge would never come about.

Just as the siblings were about to drop their charms and approach Ron, they heard someone calling his name. When his mother came into view they cursed their luck, thinking that their perfect time to get rid of Ron had vanished. However, it turned out that luck was on their side after all as Molly was just informing her son that she had to pop out and that she wouldn't be back for a couple of hours.

"Maybe you should go inside," Molly said, glancing around warily, even though she couldn't see any threat to her youngest son in the vicinity.

"I'm fine here," Ron snapped.

The Carrows struggled to hide their amusement as Molly scowled at her son before issuing him with a warning to be careful as she turned and left. Once the older witch had left, the siblings waited nearly twenty minutes before deciding to move. Splitting up, they arranged themselves so they were approaching from each side of Ron and slightly behind him. This way when Ron spotted them approaching him, he had nowhere to run. In front of him was the lake, they were approaching from either side and to run backwards he'd have to get past the pair of them. Of course he could just apparate away, but as far as the Carrows knew he hadn't taken his apparition test, or even started lessons at Hogwarts as they didn't usually start until later in the year.

Once they were in position, the Carrows dropped their disillusionment charms and slowly began their advance. Moving quietly and with purpose the pair were almost upon Ron before he caught sight of Amycus out of the corner of his eye. Ron's eyes almost popped out of his head at the sight of the deathly wizard approaching him, and things just got worse when he scrambled to his feet and spotted Alecto approaching from his other side.

"What do you want?" Ron stuttered as he pulled out his wand.

"Take a wild guess," Alecto purred silkily, distracting Ron as her brother easily disarmed him.

"Wow you really are useless," Amycus cackled as he caught Ron's wand in his left hand. "I can see why you needed the element of surprise to get one over Harry and Hermione."

"I did get one over on them, didn't I?" Ron taunted, even though his voice was shaking slightly and his eyes were flicking from side to side to see if there was any escape in sight. "I hear Hermione is on her death bed."

"You heard wrong," Alecto snarled. "Hermione will be just fine. Unlike you, I might add."

"You won't do anything to me," Ron said, not sounding too sure. "If you kill me, you'll turn everyone against your precious Dark Lord. My death would bring people flocking to our side."

"That is where you're wrong," Amycus replied. "Your death will be put down as an accident."

"Not if I fight back," Ron retorted, before he suddenly sprinted forward, darting past the two Death Eaters.

Alecto shot her brother an amused look, before casually whipping her wand out and freezing Ron as he attempted to flee. Ron swore loudly as he was frozen to the spot, one of his feet not quite on the ground. While Alecto waited beside the lake, Amycus trotted over to Ron and grabbing a tight hold of him he released his sister's spell on the redhead. He then dragged Ron back towards the lake and practically threw him at Alecto's feet.

"We can hurt you without leaving marks," Alecto warned Ron in a low, deadly voice. "Run again and you'll regret it."

"I'm not just going to stand here and let you kill me," Ron spat, rolling over so he was looking up at the pair of siblings.

"Stand, sit, we're not really fussed either way," Amycus replied with a casual shrug.

"You won't get away with this," Ron hissed as he once again began to look around for an escape route. "Even if you kill me, everyone will know. No-one will believe my death was an accident."

"They will," Amycus replied. "People will be looking for the killing curse, and we're not going to use that. People will look for the Cruciatius curse, and again we're not going to use that."

"We have other ways of hurting you," Alecto added as she twirled her wand in her fingers. "Do you want an example?"

Without waiting for an answer, Alecto pointed her wand at Ron and hit him with a jet of purple light. Instantly Ron felt as though he was on fire, and crying out in agony he rolled around on the ground as though he was trying to put out flames. However, the spell were merely a mental spell and even though Ron felt the pain, there was no physical damage to be seen.

"See, no marks," Amycus said as Alecto ended the spell, leaving Ron a blubbing mess on the floor. "No-one will ever be able to tell we've done anything to you."

"Sadistic bastards," Ron spat, still breathing heavily as he tried to recover from whatever spell Alecto had thrown at him.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Amycus replied with a chuckle, as he raised his wand and hit Ron with another silent spell.

Like the spell his sister had cast, Amycus's spell was a mind control one. To Ron it felt as though his skin was being torn into by hundreds of small knives, but it was all in his mind. His skin remained untouched and all the pain was mental. When Amycus released the spell, Alecto didn't even give Ron time to recover before she shot another similar spell at the redhead.

All in all the Carrows tortured Ron for nearly an hour, and in all that time he wasn't physically hurt in any way. However, mentally Ron was broken and by the time the last spell was released, he didn't have the facalties to try and save himself. Instead, all he could do was lie on the ground sobbing helplessly as the Carrows congratulated each other on breaking the redhead and causing him an immense amount of pain.

"Imperius?" Alecto checked with her brother.

"Easier than manhandling him into the water," Amycus replied as he waved his wand and placed Ron under the Imperius curse. Unlike the other unforgivable curses the Imperius curse left behind no traces so there was no way of establishing if someone had been cursed by it.

Under the influence of the Imperius curse a sobbing Ron got to his feet. Slowly he walked towards the edge of the lake and without removing his shoes he began to walk into the water. Before he reached the middle of the lake, he lost his footing and slipped under the water. Whether it was the jolt of being submerged into the water, or Amycus losing sight of Ron, the Imperius curse lifted as the redhead slid under the water. When he resurfaced he was spluttering and struggling for air, but because of the abuse he'd suffered, he wasn't in any state to save himself. Instead he struggled meaninglessly in the water, and as he kept losing his footing he kept slipping under the water. Every time he slid under the water it took him longer to resurface, until finally he didn't resurface.

"Where is he?" Alecto asked with a frown. "He can't have been swept away, it's a bloody lake."

"Just wait," Amycus replied in a calm voice as he continued to stare at the water.

Sure enough a few minutes later, the water began to ripple and Ron's body floated to the surface. Since they wanted to be sure he was really dead, Amycus got as near to the edge as he could and reached forward and pulled Ron's body towards him. Once he was satisfied that the redhead was gone, he pushed his body back out onto the lake. Leaving Ron floating face down in the lake, the Carrows headed off to give Voldemort the news that they'd done as he asked. Ron was gone, and before he'd died, he'd suffered.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Dropping the shopping off in the kitchen, Molly decided she would go and check on Ron. Since his suspension from Hogwarts her son had been withdrawn, and he spent most days down at the lake brooding. Of course it didn't help that only that morning they'd gotten a date for Ron's expulsion hearing, and they all knew that try as they might to fight his exclusion it was a losing cause. Ron's days at Hogwarts were gone, all the family knew that.

Although more worryingly were the legal charges hanging over Ron's head. He'd been taken into the Ministry for questioning the day after the incident at Hogwarts, and although he'd yet to be formally charged, the entire family knew it was coming. They just had to wait and see just what the charged would be, and what penalties they would incur. The worst case scenario would end with Ron in Azkaban, but they were all praying that it wouldn't come to that and Ron would end up with a slap on the wrist, and possible community service.

The lake where Ron had been spending his days was visible from the bottom of the Weasleys back garden, and from the back gate Molly couldn't see her son. Thinking he'd come indoors, Molly headed back into The Burrow. Shouting up the stairs to her son, she quickly put the shopping away while she waited for Ron to make his appearance. When Ron still hadn't made an appearance when she was finished, Molly headed off to find her son. Surprisingly there was no sign of Ron either in his room or elsewhere in The Burrow.

"Where is he?" Molly muttered as she headed back downstairs.

Wondering if Ron was still down at the lake and she'd just missed him, Molly headed off down to see if there was any sign of Ron. It wasn't until she neared the lake that Molly spotted something floating in the water. Initially she thought it was rags, but when she got closer, she spotted a flash of familiar red hair.

"Ron!" Breaking out into a run, Molly tore down to the lake as fast as her legs could carry her.

Without stopping to think about using magic to assist her, Molly waded into the lake and grabbed onto Ron. Turning her son around, she subconsciously recognised she was too late, but it didn't stop her trying to pull her son out of the water and save him. It was only as she continued to struggle that Molly remembered her wand. Pulling the piece of wood out of her pocket, Molly tearfully used magic to get Ron out of the lake.

"Ron, Ron," Molly cried, trying her best to revive her son.

Five minutes later Ron was still unresponsive and Molly was sobbing heavily over her son's body. Slowly she pulled herself together long enough to send a message to Arthur, before she slumped back over Ron's dead, cold body.

Molly was still lying draped over Ron half an hour later when her husband arrived. Arthur was just as devastated as Molly over Ron's death, but he managed to hold himself together long enough to call for help. He then collapsed next to his wife and pulled her into his arms as they grieved together.

"It was them," Molly wailed. "They killed my son."

"We'll get them, Molly," Arthur promised, tears streaming from his eyes as he looked at his son's lifeless body.

Unfortunately for the Weasleys when help arrived, they didn't get the response they expected. Arthur had notified the Aurors as Ron's death was suspicious, but when the Aurors called in a healer, he pronounced that Ron had died from drowning. There was no evidence of foul play at all. Ron hadn't been killed with the killing curse, or hurt in any way. He'd merely drowned, and that could have been a simple accident.

"It wasn't an accident," Molly whispered to Arthur when they heard the initial findings.

"No, it wasn't," Arthur agreed, even though deep down he had his doubts.

He couldn't deny Ron had been depressed these last few weeks, so was it totally unconceivable that he'd ended his life? Sadly, Arthur couldn't be sure either way. The truth was, he just didn't know what had happened and how his son's life had ended. All he could hope was that it had been quick and that Ron hadn't suffered.


	30. Chapter 30

Draco checked his appearance one final time before leaving the boys dorms. He was off to see Hermione, and as usual he wanted to look his best for his girlfriend. Hermione had now been in hospital for almost a week, and there was still some doubt about when she would be released. At the moment the healers were doing all they could to avoid her having to have a transplant, but it wasn't looking good. Fortunately, everyone's tests had come back and both Severus and Harry were a match. Severus had already made the decision that if the worst happened and Hermione needed a new kidney, he would be the one to provide it.

On the plus side, Hermione was stable and in no danger of losing her life, even if she did require a transplant. Narcissa had also been discharged from hospital and was recuperating at home. Lucius was back teaching, although he spent every spare moment he had checking on his wife. Beth had taken a few days off after Hermione had first been admitted to hospital, but she was now back teaching, although she was still visiting Hermione quite regularly so Severus covered at least one of her classes each day. As for Draco and Harry, they just tried to get through the days without Hermione so they could visit her on evenings. Fortunately, they'd been allowed to go and see Hermione every evening, with Draco also popping home to check on his mother every couple of days as well.

"Are you off to see Hermione?" Blaise asked Draco as he entered the common room.

"Yeah," Draco replied. The Slytherins were also keen to see Hermione, but so far her visitors at the hospital had been restricted to family and the Malfoys.

"We've got something for you to give her," Daphne said as she picked up a basket from beside the chair she was sitting on and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" Draco asked, examining the basket which was overflowing with sweets, fruit, flowers, get well cards, books, magazines and various trinkets.

"We've all added something to the basket just to let Hermione know we're thinking about her," Theo said.

"Well, almost all of us have contributed," Blaise muttered, giving Pansy a pointed glare.

"I didn't know what to add," Pansy responded with a shrug. "We're hardly the best of friends."

"You don't need to be the best of friends to add something," Blaise argued. "Luna doesn't know Hermione that well, but she still added to the basket."

"I don't have anything to add now, do I?" Pansy huffed.

"I'm sure Hermione will appreciate what is here," Draco said as he picked the basket up. Truth be told he thought his girlfriend would prefer not having anything from Pansy, as Hermione had made it clear on more than one occasion that she disliked the Slytherin witch.

"Just make sure you give her our love," Daphne said. "Oh, and remind Harry we're going down to Hogsmeade together at the weekend."

"Believe me, he doesn't need reminding," Draco chuckled. "You're all he talks about Daph. He's definitely smitten."

Leaving a smiling Daphne and his other friends down in the dungeons, Draco headed up to Gryffindor Tower to meet Harry. Since his venture into the lion's den the password had been changed so Draco couldn't just enter Gryffindor Tower. Not that he wanted to go into Gryffindor Tower again as he'd only done so in the first place because they had an emergency. Instead, he was happy to wait outside until Harry appeared and then they would head to Severus's office so they could floo to the hospital together.

Draco had barely arrived at Gryffindor Tower, when a frowning Professor McGonagall swept into sight. McGonagall's frown deepened when she spotted Draco leaning against the wall directly opposite The Fat Lady's portrait.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Mr Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm waiting for Harry," Draco replied, making no attempt to move along.

"I'm sure there's somewhere else you can wait for him," McGonagall tutted. "Move along, Mr Malfoy."

Rolling his eyes at the fact McGonagall was clearly trying to avoid saying the password in front of him, Draco took his basket for Hermione and moved further down the corridor. As such it meant he couldn't hear McGonagall when she said the password, but the second the door to the common room swung open, he heard an awful commotion. Switching positions so he could see into the room more clearly, Draco saw the commotion was Harry and Ginny having a slanging match.

Ever since Hermione had been taken to hospital, Ginny had been making constant snide remarks. Both Draco and Harry were reaching the ends of their patience with her, so Draco wasn't surprised to find that Harry had finally snapped. He just thought Ginny was lucky that Harry hadn't hexed her so badly she ended up in hospital herself.

"Ginger tart," Harry shouted, as he stomped out of the common room.

"Mr Potter," McGonagall called after him. "Do not walk away from me."

"It's Snape," Harry snapped as he turned back to McGonagall. "And she should be the one in trouble, not me. She started this, she always does."

"Now is not the time for such things," McGonagall said. "I'll speak to you later, Mr Snape."

"Suit yourself," Harry muttered as he turned back around to face Draco. "What have you got there?" He asked as he eyed the basket in his friend's hand.

"A present for Hermione," Draco answered. "All the Slytherins and Luna have put something in. So what's McGonagall doing in Gryffindor Tower?"

"I don't know," Harry replied with a frown. He'd never found out what McGonagall had wanted as she'd walked in when he'd been arguing with Ginny and she'd just broken the argument up when he'd stormed off.

Turning back to Gryffindor Tower, the two boys watched with curiosity as McGonagall emerged from the common room with Ginny in tow. McGonagall had her arm around Ginny's shoulder, although the redheaded girl looked totally bemused by the whole thing. Obviously McGonagall hadn't told her what she wanted from her as she hurried her out of Gryffindor Tower and down the stairs.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Harry asked with a mischievous smirk as he turned to his best friend.

"The end of the weasel?" Draco questioned with a smirk of his own.

"With any luck," Harry replied. "Let's go and see Hermione. Grandpa might know something."

With the hope that they would receive good news from Voldemort as well as seeing Hermione, the pair all but ran to Severus's office. When they mentioned McGonagall taking Ginny away, Severus played coy, but both boys noted his knowing smirk. With their hopes even higher than before, the pair flooed to the hospital and along with Severus they made their way to the waiting room nearest to Hermione's room. When they arrived at the waiting room, they found Beth and Voldemort sitting in the room with concerned expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Harry demanded. "Is Hermione okay?"

"Hermione's fine," Voldemort reassured his grandson. "She's in her room, waiting to see you and Draco."

"Then what's with the long faces?" Harry asked. He knew something wasn't right, and he was determined to find out what before he visited his aunt.

"Hermione's going to need the transplant," Beth said, looking towards her step-son. "The healers have just been briefing us, and they've done all they can for her. Without the transplant, she won't survive."

"Let's start making arrangements then," Severus said in a firm voice. Giving one of his kidneys to his sister seemed like a fair price to pay if it meant he didn't lose her.

While Severus, Beth and Voldemort set about making arrangements with the healers about the transplant, Harry and Draco headed off to see Hermione. As she'd been since arriving at the hospital, Hermione was lying in bed. While she didn't look quite as pale as she'd had upon her arrival, she was still missing her spark. The most animated she got was smiling at the two boys and giving them both hugs.

"I take it you've heard about the transplant," Hermione said as both boys gave her wary looks.

"We have," Harry confirmed. "Are you scared?"

"Of course," Hermione admitted. "If this doesn't work I'm in trouble."

"It'll work," Draco reassured his girlfriend. To be honest, the alternative wasn't something he even wanted to contemplate.

Hermione nodded, trying to remain positive. As she did so, she got her eyes on the basket Draco was carrying. When Draco saw her eyeing the basket curiously, he placed it on the bed beside her.

"A present from the others," He told her. "Aside from Pansy, everyone has chipped in with something, even Luna."

"Why didn't Pansy add anything?" Harry asked with a frown as Hermione picked through the basket.

"Because she's a jealous cow," Draco replied. "She tried to say it was because she wasn't close to Hermione, but it was really because she doesn't care."

"As if I'm bothered," Hermione said. "Make sure you thank the others for me. I appreciate all of their thoughtful gifts."

"Speaking of gifts, I was hoping Grandpa was going to give us one," Harry said, suddenly remembering about Ginny. "Before we left school, McGonagall was taking Ginny somewhere. We're hoping it means Ron is gone."

"With any luck," Hermione replied. "Although I would have loved to have taken care of him myself."

"Join the club," Draco chuckled. Both he and Harry had spoken about how they would have loved to get rid of Ron themselves, but they understood why Voldemort had taken a different route in disposing of the redhead.

Ten minutes later they got the chance to find out what was happening as Voldemort, Beth and Severus entered the room. Although before they could discuss Ron, Beth filled the teenagers in on what was going to happen with Hermione's transplant. Basically, the transplant would take place the following week, with both Severus and Hermione then needing a few weeks rest. Hermione would then have to rest for a while longer before she was fit and ready to return to school.

"When will I be able to go back?" Hermione asked with a frown. At this rate she was going to need homework brought home for her to keep up with the work.

"If all goes well, you'll be fit enough to return after Easter," Voldemort replied.

"Easter?" Hermione protested, his face dropping at the thought of being stuck in hospital for months.

"Yes, Easter," Voldemort replied with a nod. "Not a moment before, and there will be no arguing over the matter. Although after the transplant, you'll at least be able to come home to recuperate."

"At least that's something," Hermione muttered.

"It's not all doom and gloom," Voldemort said with an amused chuckle. "I did receive some good news today."

"What's the good news?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Alecto and Amycus conducted an experiment for me, and it turns out weasels can't swim," Voldemort said with a smirk.

"What happens to them?" Harry asked.

"They drown," Voldemort replied. "After first suffering a great deal of pain."

Draco shared a triumphant smirk with Harry and Hermione over the fact that Ron was gone. Now all they had to do was get rid of the rest of the Weasleys and Order and their lives would be peaceful.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Like her husband, Beth knew lashing out against people who upset them wasn't the wisest of moves. That was why she hadn't instantly dealt with Poppy Pomfrey after she'd been sacked from Hogwarts. Thanks to school records she knew exactly where the medi-witch lived, so she took her time in coming up with a plan to kill the witch. On the day they discovered Hermione would definitely need a transplant, Beth decided to act. Returning to Hogwarts with Draco and Harry, she headed down to the Potions classroom and quickly brewed up a lethal potion which couldn't be detected in the bloodstream. Once the potion was ready, she left the castle and headed to the small cottage which Poppy Pomfrey called home.

By the time Beth arrived at the cottage it was after midnight and the cottage was in complete darkness. Luckily Beth had dressed for the occasion and she was virtually invisible as she snuck around the cottage, checking out the security. While the security was fairly reasonable, it was no match for a dark witch like Beth and within half an hour she was inside the home of the medi-witch.

Inside the kitchen, Beth seriously debated slipping the potion into some liquid or some food that Poppy would eat or drink the next day. However, she wanted to see the results of her handiwork for herself. She didn't want to just leave the potion and wait for the results, she wanted to witness the death of the witch that had missed her daughter's injuries and could very well have gotten her killed.

Pouring a glass of water from the sink, Beth slipped the colourless potion into the drink and carried the glass upstairs. She easily found Poppy's bedroom, where the medi-witch was sleeping happily. Placing the glass on the bedside table, she pulled out her wand and roughly shook Poppy until she was awake.

"What's going on?" She sleepily mumbled.

"I thought I'd come and say hello," Beth said in a low voice as she situated herself at the bottom of the bed.

Instantly Poppy was alert as she shot up in bed. Beth chuckled at the witch's horrified expression as she realised just who was standing at the bottom of her bed.

"Beth," Poppy stuttered.

"What's wrong, Poppy?" Beth asked with a chuckle. "Scared?"

"No," Poppy replied in a shaking voice.

"I don't believe you," Beth replied. "You sound a bit shaky."

"I'm fine," Poppy replied. Glancing to her side she found a glass of water on her bedside table, and picking it up she gulped down its contents to help with the dryness in her throat.

"Now you're fine," Beth said with a smirk. She hadn't expected Poppy to drink the water of her own accord, but it saved her a messy job trying to get the medi-witch to bend to her will.

Poppy frowned, but didn't get a chance to say anything as she suddenly began to struggle for breath. As Beth stood at the bottom of the bed, smirking at her, she began to realise her mistake. She hadn't brought a glass of water to bed with her, meaning Beth had to have placed it there.

"Why?" Poppy croaked.

"Why? Because your negligence almost got my daughter killed," Beth spat. "Because of you, my little girl is lying in a hospital bed waiting for a kidney transplant. You should have stopped all this. You could have if you'd done your job. Now I'm doing my job and punishing you for causing my daughter unnecessary hurt."

By the time Beth had finished her speech, Poppy was gasping for breath and clutching at the bedsheets as she tried to catch her breath. Sadly for the medi-witch, she couldn't get her breath and she began to turn a nasty shade of blue as she struggled to get oxygen to her lungs. At the bottom of the bed, Beth watched emotionlessly as Poppy finally keeled over and breathed her last.

Quickly checking the witch was dead, Beth removed the glass she'd brought to the bedroom and returned it back downstairs where she rinsed it and returned it to the bench where she'd found it. Double checking she'd left no evidence of her presence, she then slipped back out of the cottage and apparated away, leaving Poppy Pomfrey's dead body for someone else to find.


	31. Chapter 31

News of Ron's death was announced over breakfast the day after Harry and Draco had witnessed Ginny being escorted from Gryffindor Tower by Professor McGonagall. McGonagall was the one who announced the sad news before breakfast was served. The entire school was shocked by the news, and Harry and Draco also managed to convince people McGonagall's announcement was the first they'd heard of the redhead's demise.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not considering Ron's recent behaviour, there wasn't a great deal of sadness at the announcement. Most people were shocked, but very few were genuinely saddened by Ron's death. Harry didn't even pretend to be sad as by now everyone knew how he really felt about Ron. However, he was pretty shocked by the lack of emotion from elsewhere in the school. Either Ron's recent behaviour had well and truly turned people against him, or else there were more people in the school that might side with the dark if push came to shove.

The day after Ron's death shook Hogwarts, news broke that Madam Pomfrey had been found dead in her cottage. Unlike Ron's death, there was a genuine outpouring of emotion from the students. The staff also seemed more shook up by the news, and there was a genuine air of grief around the school.

Although the other consequence of the double death, were the rumours that started to spread throughout the castle. It hadn't escaped people's notice that Ron had died shortly after attacking Harry and Hermione, while Madam Pomfrey had been sacked for not picking up on Hermione's injuries. Of course, no-one had the guts to ask Harry if his family were responsible for the deaths, but he heard the whispers.

Severus had also heard the whispers of gossip, and not just from the students. He knew the staff were also gossiping and speculating on whether or not the dark had been involved in the duel deaths. Not that Severus was planning on addressing the rumours, unless someone specifically asked him about them. However, he did organise a staff meeting to deal with the fact he was going to have to take some time off for Hermione's transplant.

The staff meeting occurred a couple of days after the news of Madam Pomfrey's death had broken, and when Severus entered the staff room with Lucius and Beth, it was the hot topic of conversation amongst the staff. When the trio appeared, the conversations stuttered to a halt, although by this point Severus, Beth and Lucius had all heard enough to know what the staff were thinking.

"Before we begin, perhaps there's something people want to ask me," Beth said as she grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for the meeting. "I would rather people confronted me, rather than spread nasty rumours based on what they think might have happened."

"No-one is spreading any rumours," Pomona Sprout promised the Potions Professor. "We're merely discussing recent events."

"So sad, to lose both a student and member of staff," Filius Flitwick added with a sigh.

"Yes, it's tragic," Lucius drawled, his tone indicating he thought it was anything but tragic.

"So Minerva, is there anything you want to ask me?" Beth demanded, focusing on the Head of Gryffindor, as she'd been the one doing most of the gossiping.

"Since you've raised the subject, I will ask what we're all wondering," McGonagall replied bravely. "Did you and your family kill Ron Weasley and Poppy Pomfrey?"

"Of course not," Beth lied, sounding and looking extremely innocent.

"You have to admit it's a hell of a coincidence," McGonagall continued, not buying Beth's act of innocence, although it was clear most of the other staff members were. "Ron had just attacked your daughter and grandson, and then you were furious about Poppy missing Hermione's injures."

"I won't deny the deaths haven't exactly saddened me, or any of my family come to that," Beth answered. "But that doesn't mean we had anything to do with them. Both the Weasley boy and Poppy were punished."

"I hardly think Poppy losing her job is considered sufficient punishment in your eyes," McGonagall snorted.

"Why not?" Beth asked. "Not only did she lose her job, but she would have struggled to find work elsewhere. Her life was shattered. I didn't have to kill her to make her suffer."

"From what I heard dozens of rejection letters were found at her cottage," Lucius piped up. "No-one in the medical profession would give her a chance, not when she was sacked for negligence and didn't have any references. Is it any wonder she had a heart attack due to the stress?"

"Exactly, she was suffering without me having to lift a finger," Beth said with a smirk. "Besides, didn't it say in the papers that there was no sign of forced entry? From what I read, Poppy was home alone when she died."

"And what about Ron?" McGonagall pressed. As much as she hated to admit it, Beth's arguments about Poppy seemed sound, but that didn't mean the dark weren't responsible for Ron's untimely death.

"What about him?" Beth asked with a frown.

"After what he did, I could imagine there was a lot of hatred aimed towards him from your family," McGonagall answered.

"There was, and still is," Beth confirmed. "But that doesn't mean we were involved in that boy's death."

"I heard it was suicide," Flitwick said quietly.

"Poppycock," McGonagall snorted. "Where did you hear that?"

"I have a friend who works at the Ministry," Flitwick replied. "According to him, he heard the Aurors investigating the accident talking about the possibility of suicide. Apparently since his suspension he's been depressed and spending a lot of time down beside the lake."

"Bernard Nott told me the same thing," Lucius supplied helpfully. "Apparently one of the Weasley boys told the Aurors it was his first thought when he heard his brother was dead. Bernard also said that even though no-one else in the family will admit the same thing, it was clear a few of them had the same thoughts."

"Nonsense," McGonagall tutted. "I refuse to believe that a sixteen year old boy would take his life. He had everything to live for."

"Did he?" Beth asked with a raised eyebrow. "He'd been suspended from school, with his permanent exclusion merely a formality. That would mean he would struggle to get any sort of job that wasn't menial work. Not to mention the of legal action hanging over him. The Ministry hadn't formally pressed charges, but given what subsequently happened to Hermione the charges were being amended to take into account her injuries."

"What sort of charges were being considered?" McGonagall asked with a frown.

"There's the obvious ones of using an unforgivable curse," Beth replied. "But then the added charges would have involved attempted murder, or at the very least serious bodily harm. There was no way that he would have escaped a prison sentence."

"I had no idea," McGonagall muttered.

"That's what happens when you spread rumours without knowing all the facts, you're often completely wrong about things," Beth said sharply. "Now if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about the Weasley boy. I'm more concerned about my daughter who's lying in hospital, ready to undergo a major procedure."

"What sort of procedure?" Sprout asked, giving Beth a sympathetic smile.

"She's going to have a kidney transplant at the weekend," Beth answered.

"Which is the reason for this meeting," Severus said, deciding to get things back on track now Beth had made McGonagall squirm. "I will be the one giving Hermione the kidney she needs. The procedure isn't as major for me, but I will still be off work for a couple of weeks. In my absence, Lucius will be taking over as Headmaster."

"Lucius?" McGonagall hissed. "But I'm the deputy Headmistress."

"I'm well aware of that," Severus replied. "But given your remarks today, I'm not sure I trust you, Minerva. I need someone I can trust to take charge, and Lucius is that person."

"You can't do this," McGonagall replied.

"I can, and I have," Severus said. "If you don't like the situation, Minerva, you know where the door is. This is a temporary measure. I will be away from Hogwarts for two or three weeks maximum. In my absence Lucius will be in charge, and if anyone has a problem with that, they're also free to leave."

Severus was silent as he let his words sink on. Slowly, his turned his gaze on every member of staff, waiting for any of them to object to his decision to hand the reigns over to Lucius for a short while. No-one objected, and finally he turned his attention back to McGonagall, who looked as though she was sucking a lemon.

"Minerva?" He questioned quietly.

"It's your decision, headmaster," She replied through clenched tenth.

"Yes, it is," Severus replied with a nod as he turned his attention to the rest of the meeting and making sure there was no problems before he took a few weeks off.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Not a chance," Ginny screamed at the top of her voice as she glared at her father and brothers.

Ginny had been back at home for a couple of days following Ron's death, and Arthur had just informed her that she would be returning to Hogwarts a few days after Ron's funeral. So far, Ron's funeral hadn't taken place as the official investigation was still underway. By this point it was clear the Ministry were going to declare Ron's death an accident, not that Ginny thought it was an accident at all. She knew some of her brothers, Percy especially, thought Ron had killed himself, but she knew the truth. He'd been killed in retaliation for what had happened with Harry and Hermione. Ginny had expected to find some support in her theories, but the only one who thought the same as her was Molly and her mother was in such a state she'd been confined to bed for the last day or so.

"This isn't up for discussion, Ginny," Arthur said firmly. Normally he was a pushover where his children were concerned, but right now he was putting his foot down. "You will be going back to Hogwarts."

"You can't make me," Ginny hissed.

"Since you're not seventeen, I can make you," Arthur replied. "Like it or not, your school days are not over."

"I can't believe you want to send me back to school with killers," Ginny wailed. "We all know Ron was killed because of what he did to Hermione and Harry."

"Now is not the time to discuss that, Ginny," Arthur warned. Since Ron's death, Molly had been in a state and the last thing he wanted was Ginny urging her on in her hatred of Harry, Hermione and their family. A feud would only lead to more grief, and Arthur was convinced the grief would all be theirs.

"This isn't about Ron, this is about you, Ginny," Bill said gently to his younger sister. "If you don't go back to Hogwarts and take your exams, your whole life will be ruined."

"I don't need exams to succeed," Ginny protested.

"Yes, you do," Percy argued. "Without proper exam results, you're doomed to spend the rest of your life in a dead end job."

"You mean like yours?" Ginny shot back, smirking when her brother winced at the mention of his lowly job in the Ministry. "Just where have all your top marks got you, Percy? The second Nott took over as Minister, you were discarded, and not because of your qualifications, because of your name. Face it, unless we change things, we Weasleys are doomed. We are never going to be successful as long as the dark are in charge. We need to fight. Ron understood that."

"And look where that got him," Charlie said quietly. "If you're right, Ginny, our brother was killed because he fought back. We don't want the same thing to happen to you."

"It won't," Ginny vowed. "But I can't just sit back and pretend as though everything is alright. You can't expect me to go back to school as though nothing has happened."

"No-one wants you to pretend nothing has happened," Arthur said with a weary sigh. "But fighting with the dark isn't getting us anywhere, Ginny. All it leads to is people getting hurt, innocent people like your brother. Losing you will kill your mother, Ginny."

"I know," Ginny admitted with a sigh as she slumped down on the sofa next to her father. "I would just rather be here with you lot."

"We would love you to stay, Ginny, but we're thinking of you," Arthur said as he wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder. "Returning to Hogwarts is what's best for you."

"Besides, if you don't return the dark have won," Charlie said slyly, deciding to try a different tack on his sister. "Don't let them win, Gin. Go back and show them you won't be beaten. Show them we won't roll over and let them take charge."

"We're not going to stop fighting, Ginny," Bill added forcefully. "We just need to be smarter about how we go about things. We won't give up."

"No, we won't," Ginny whispered, silently promising Ron that she would get revenge for him. She would find whoever had killed her brother and she would make them pay.


	32. Chapter 32

On the morning of Hermione's transplant, the waiting room at the private hospital was full of concerned family. Earlier that morning Severus had been admitted and he was currently being prepped to donate his kidney to his younger sister. With the procedure taking place on a Saturday, both Harry and Draco were at the hospital alongside Beth and Voldemort. Lucius and Narcissa were also present and everyone was pleased to see that Narcissa was recovering well from her own hospital stay. And of course, Rosmerta was also present. Rosmerta had visited Hermione a few times over the last couple of weeks, and of course she was now there to support her fiancé as well as his sister.

Even though the procedure wasn't deemed too risky, there was still an air of tension in the waiting room as they waited for news. Harry and Draco were by far the most nervous, as they'd looked up the procedure in the Hogwarts library the day before and they knew exactly what it entailed. Although the book they found the procedure detailed in also gave details of the equivalent surgery in the muggle world, and both boys were pleased that magic would be involved in Hermione's procedure. At least with magic, Hermione wouldn't have a scar and a potion could ensure that the transplant took and they didn't have to worry about her body rejecting the organ Severus was going to donate to her.

In order to help the time pass quicker, Beth and Narcissa got Rosmerta talking about her wedding plans with Severus. Harry wasn't surprised to hear that his father and his fiancée were planning on getting married over the summer in a small ceremony. Of course with recent events they hadn't managed to set a date, but Rosmerta was confident they could make some plans over the next couple of weeks while Severus was at home recuperating.

"It sounds like Severus will be well looked after when he goes home," Draco remarked to Harry.

"I'm sure he'll be very happy being waited on hand and foot by Rosmerta," Harry chuckled. "Although, I'm not too sure Hermione will be as pleased to be laid up for the next few weeks."

While Severus would be off work for a couple of weeks at the most, Hermione would be laid up for several more weeks as the procedure was more intrusive for her. However, by the Easter holidays in a few weeks they were hoping she would be back and up on her feet so that she could return to school after the break.

"No doubt she'll be complaining bitterly the entire time," Draco agreed with a fond smile.

"Just as long as she's okay," Harry said quietly.

"Yeah, that's the most important thing," Draco said, equally as quiet as his best friend as his thoughts turned back to his girlfriend and the procedure she was undergoing.

Harry's thoughts also returned to Hermione, and while the adults continued to talk quietly, he and Draco lapsed into silence as they waited for news. Finally, news came in the shape of one of the specialists, Healer Blake, who'd been taking part in the procedure.

"It's all over," Healer Blake announced as she entered the room and gave everyone a reassuring smile. "Both Hermione and Severus are in recovery."

"But it worked?" Beth asked anxiously.

"The procedure went as planned," Healer Blake reassured the family. "Severus should be awake in an hour or so, and aside from some soreness he'll be completely fine. We'll keep him in overnight, just to monitor him, but he should be able to be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Thank Merlin," Rosmerta muttered as Beth and Voldemort shared a relieved look at the news Severus was fine.

"And Hermione?" Voldemort checked.

"She'll be asleep for a few more hours, but she should be awake by this evening," Healer Blake answered. "Once we've checked the transplant has taken, we'll give her a potion to ensure her body doesn't reject the kidney. She'll have to take the potion for three months, and she'll need a check-up every year where we'll give her a booster jab just to make sure everything is fine."

"When will she be able to come home?" Beth asked eagerly.

"It all depends on how she fares from the procedure," Healer Blake replied. "But given how tough she's been these last few weeks, I'd say she should be home by the end of the week providing she's on bed rest. It will still be a few months before she's back to her normal self."

"Don't worry, she'll get plenty of rest," Voldemort vowed.

"Someone will be in to inform you when Severus and then Hermione wakes up," Healer Blake said with one final smile before she exited the room.

"She's going to be alright," Beth declared happily as she threw her arms around Voldemort's neck and hugged her husband.

"Thanks to Severus," Voldemort replied as he hugged his wife back.

"Of course," Beth agreed with a smile. "What would we do without him? We're really lucky, aren't we? We've got the perfect family."

"Yes, we have," Voldemort replied as he bent his head and connected his lips with his wife's.

"Do you have to?" Harry complained loudly as Draco chuckled beside him. "Honestly, it's bad enough when Dad and Rosmerta get snogging, now I have to watch my grandparents drooling all over each other."

"We don't drool," Voldemort shot over his shoulder as he gave his grandson a wicked smirk.

"Even so, can you please save the sloppy stuff for the privacy of your own home," Harry pleaded.

"We could always celebrate tonight," Beth stage whispered to her husband. "Make the most of the empty house before Hermione gets home."

Harry groaned at Beth's implications as he hung his head into his hands. Thankfully, it wasn't very long until one of the healer's poked their head into the room and announced that Severus was waking up. Even though there was a long line of people wanting to see Severus, Voldemort decided that Rosmerta and Harry should be the first to go and see him. When they entered the room Severus was in, he was just coming around

"Hermione?" He croaked the second he found his voice.

"She's still sleeping, but it all went well," Rosmerta reassured her fiancé. "You're a hero."

"I was just doing what anyone would do," Severus replied as relief washed over his face at the news the transplant would be successful.

"You're still my hero," Rosmerta said, smiling at Severus as she leant down and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Not again," Harry whined as his father and Rosmerta shared a kiss.

Turning away, he waited until the pair had parted before settling down in the chair beside his father. Rosmerta settled down beside Harry and the three of them spoke for a few minutes, before Rosmerta suggested they let the others visit. Beth and Voldemort were the first ones to visit Severus once Harry and Rosmerta left him alone, followed by the Malfoys. Once Lucius and Narcissa left Severus's bedside, Rosmerta went back in with her fiancé while they were waiting for Hermione to wake up.

Hermione woke up over an hour after her brother, and her parents were the first ones to see her. Harry and Draco were then allowed in to see her, before Lucius and Narcissa paid her a quick visit. Of course Hermione soon wanted to see her brother, but the healers were insistent that neither of them were allowed to leave their rooms. They could see each other in the morning, but for the time being they needed to rest. Especially Hermione who had several weeks recovery in her before she was fit enough to go back to Hogwarts after Easter.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny was less than thrilled to be back at Hogwarts, but she'd been left with no choice. True to his word, her father had insisted she returned to school after Ron's funeral. All in all Ginny had been back at home for well over a fortnight, but now she was back at Hogwarts with only three weeks to go before the Easter holidays. Before she'd returned to school, she'd had to promise not to cause trouble, but Ginny had a plan. For the time being she was happy to obey Arthur and stay out of trouble, but all she would really be doing was waiting for the opportune time to strike. When the time came she would be ready to move and help her brothers take out Harry, Hermione and their family.

Ginny arrived back at Hogwarts in McGonagall's office, and after reassuring her head of house she was fine to be back, she headed off to Gryffindor Tower. As she went, she wondered if Hermione was back yet. McGonagall had visited The Burrow a couple of times following Ron's death, and she'd attended the funeral, and Ginny had heard her talking to her parents so she knew that Hermione had needed some sort of medical procedure.

Ginny's thoughts of Hermione soon vanished when she re-entered Gryffindor Tower and found herself the centre of attention. A few people gave her sympathetic looks, and a few offered their condolences. However, Ginny noticed that a fair few people just turned away from her as though she was a pariah. There certainly wasn't the outpouring of grief she'd expected to be confronted with upon her return. Even Ron's friends, Neville, Dean and Seamus, didn't look overly broken up over his death.

"We're so sorry, Ginny," Neville said sympathetically as the redheaded witch approached them.

"Yeah, we all liked Ron," Seamus added.

"Not everyone," Ginny muttered darkly as her eyes darted around the room looking for Harry and Hermione.

"They're not here," Dean said, easily working out who Ginny was looking for.

"Where are they?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione won't be back until after Easter and Harry's either down with the Slytherins or he's been home," Seamus answered.

"He was going home to see Hermione," Neville supplied. "Apparently she's improving daily."

"You seem well informed," Ginny remarked snappishly.

"Harry and I talk," Neville replied with a shrug. "Besides, Hermione is my friend. I like to keep up to date with how she's doing."

"The only update I need to hear is a one to say she's popped her clogs," Ginny snarled.

"Ginny," Seamus hissed disapprovingly. "After what's happened with Ron, you should know better than to wish death on someone."

"The difference is, Ron didn't deserve what happened to him," Ginny snapped as she got to her feet. "He was innocent, unlike that cow and her whole horrid family."

Bubbling with anger, Ginny turned on her heel and stalked out of Gryffindor Tower. However, she'd barely barged out of the door when she ran directly into Harry. Harry automatically reached out to steady Ginny, but when he realised just who had bumped into him, he removed his hands as quickly as he could.

"You're back," He remarked coldly.

"Surprised, are you?" Ginny taunted. "I bet you thought I was gone for good."

"I'm not stupid, Ginny," Harry chuckled. "I knew you would be back. Unlike that brother of yours."

"Don't you dare mention Ron," Ginny snarled.

"Why? Touchy subject is it?" Harry retorted.

"I know you lot killed him, we all do," Ginny replied in a low voice. "You won't get away with this."

Before Ginny could react, Harry had advanced on her and he had her pinned against the wall. Ginny looked around for help, but found no-one was around to witness Harry's act of aggression.

"Be careful who you threaten, Ginny," Harry whispered menacingly as he held his arm over her throat and pressed against her, choking her slightly. "It's already been discovered that Weasels can't swim, so you don't want to end up in deep water with me."

"I knew it," Ginny whispered. "You did kill him."

"I did nothing to Ron," Harry replied truthfully. "After what he did to Hermione, I wish I had done something, but I didn't have the opportunity. Fate took care of him for us, and if you're not careful it'll take care of you in the same way."

"You don't frighten me," Ginny said defiantly.

"Really?" Harry gave Ginny an evil grin as he pressed closer to her and felt her shiver in fear. "You look scared to me."

"I'm not," Ginny replied shakily.

"You keep telling yourself that, Ginny," Harry chuckled evilly as he stepped back from the shaking redhead. "Think of this as a friendly warning, Ginny. Stay away from me, and stay away from Hermione. If you don't, you'll regret it."

Leaving Ginny to mull over his warning, Harry headed towards Gryffindor Tower. Ginny watched him go, her face a mask of fury. One day she would get him, and his precious aunt, for all the trouble they'd caused. However, she would bide her time and let them think they had the upper hand. Just when they thought she was out of their lives, she would strike and they would never see her coming.


	33. Chapter 33

Hermione was bored, and desperate for things to return to some semblance of normality. Fortunately, the Easter holidays were upon her and the end of her rest period was in sight. After her transplant, Hermione had been in hospital just under a week before she was discharged. However, all she really did was swap a hospital bed for her own bed at home. Since her mother was still teaching, Voldemort had been her primary carer and he'd been pretty strict about her getting enough rest. He'd even spoken to her house elf, Mitzee, to make sure she kept Hermione in bed when he wasn't around.

Hermione had entertained herself with homework from school, which Beth and Lucius had provided for her, but now she was pretty much caught up. Luckily, for the last few days she'd been allowed out of bed and she was now roaming the house as normal. Of course she still had to take things easy and after several weeks stuck in bed, she tended to tire easily as she was rebuilding her strength and stamina.

On the day Hogwarts broke up for Easter, Hermione was disappointed when Beth returned home on her own. Even though it wasn't normally done, she had hoped that Harry and Draco would be allowed to return home with Beth, Severus and Lucius, rather than on the train which would take them all day. However, it wasn't to be and Beth had informed Hermione that Harry and Draco would be returning home with the rest of the students on the train.

"Can I at least go with you to meet them off the train?" Hermione asked her mother.

"Of course," Beth replied.

Excited by the thought of seeing her nephew and boyfriend, combined with her happiness over finally going outside for the first time in weeks, Hermione found she couldn't settle to anything for the rest of the day. All too slowly time ticked past, until it was finally time to go to meet the train at King's Cross Station. Hermione was still bubbling with excitement as she and Beth headed off to London, where they met Narcissa on Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"You're looking bright, Hermione," Narcissa said with a chuckle as the young, brunette witch was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"It's nice to be out getting some fresh air," Hermione replied.

"I know that feeling," Narcissa remarked. Like Hermione she'd been stuck indoors following her hospital stay and thankfully she was now completely fine, albeit with some major scarring on her arm and side, which was expertly hidden under her long sleeved dress.

As they waited for the train to arrive, Beth and Narcissa stood chatting while Hermione glanced around the station. She noticed a few people glancing at her curiously, but she didn't react to their stares as she had no idea if they were hostile looks or if they were just curious about her given what her happened and who her family was. She also suspected some of them would be thinking about Ron and Madam Pomfrey, and how they'd both ended up dead following her admittance to hospital. Of course, none of the papers had come out and accused her father of being behind the two deaths, but a couple had implied it and she knew there would be gossip. They would just have to wait and see if the gossip turned into some sort of rebellion, or if in time people would just forget all about Ron and Madam Pomfrey.

Thinking of Ron got Hermione wondering about the Weasleys and she looked around the platform for any sign of Molly. After a few minutes she decided that Molly wasn't on the platform, and she wondered if Ron's death had left her so fragile that she wasn't up to facing the world. Hermione smirked at the idea of Molly being too distraught to leave the house, just as she spotted a flash of red hair further along the platform. Wondering if Molly had finally arrived, and what her response would be when she saw Hermione herself, she stepped back a few paces to get a good look at whichever Weasley had just made an appearance. As it turned out, it wasn't Molly who had just arrived, it was Bill and Charlie. Both wizards noticed Hermione fairly quickly, but aside from giving her a dirty look, they turned away from her as they waited for the train to arrive with their sister on board.

Shortly after the two eldest Weasley children had arrived, The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. Hermione spotted Harry and Draco almost immediately as they disembarked with their friends. It took a few minutes for either boy to notice her, but when they did their faces broke into identical grins.

"Hermione," Harry cried, rushing over to his aunt and giving her a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprising you," Hermione replied with a grin.

"You've done that," Harry answered, grinning back at his aunt. Even though he'd seen Hermione regularly since she'd left hospital, it was the first time he'd seen her looking like her old, bubbly self.

Turning to Draco, Hermione took one look at her boyfriend before launching herself into his arms and slanting her lips over his. Draco didn't even blink as he wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and heatedly returned her kiss. Even the fact their mothers were standing inches away couldn't stop the affection between the two teenagers.

"Whew," Blaise declared with a low whistle. "Talk about a hot show."

"Indeed," Beth remarked in an amused voice. "Perhaps the pair of you should remember you're in public."

"Sorry," Hermione apologised, not looking the least bit sorry as she stepped out of Draco's arms.

The second Hermione was out of Draco's embrace, she turned to the Slytherins and Luna, whom she hadn't seen since before she'd been taken to hospital. Daphne was the first one to greet her and the two witches hugged each other as her friend checked how she was doing.

"I can't wait to get back to school after the holidays," Hermione said as she said hello to the boys and Luna.

"Only you would look forward to returning to school," Theo snorted. "Most people would be glad of the break."

"But I miss you lot," Hermione said with a pout. "It's boring at home on my own, I'm missing all the fun."

"It's actually been fairly quiet at school," Blaise said.

"Really?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "After what happened with Ron, I thought Ginny would be stirring up trouble."

"She's been surprisingly quiet since her return," Harry told his aunt, glancing across the station where he saw the redheaded witch disappearing with her two oldest brothers.

"You think she's up to something?" Hermione asked.

"Probably," Harry replied with a nod. "But let's not worry about her just yet. Let's celebrate the fact you're back up on your feet."

"I thought we could do that over the weekend," Beth said. "Everyone's invited over for a small party."

"Excellent," Blaise said with a grin. "We'll be there."

"I hope you're all there," Hermione said, looking around at the group. The only Slytherin she couldn't see was Pansy, not that she was bothered if the other witch didn't want to hang around with them.

"We will be," Daphne promised before she said goodbye to Harry and headed off to where her mother and sister were waiting.

Taking their cue from Daphne, the others also said their goodbyes and headed off home. With their friends all gone, Hermione, Harry and Draco turned to Beth and Narcissa and the five of them headed home. Narcissa and Draco headed back to the manor, although Beth made sure they were coming to dinner later that evening. Harry returned home with Beth and Hermione, and he just hung out with his aunt until dinner time and only returned to his own house after dinner when Severus and Rosmerta went home.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The Easter holidays flew past in a blur of activity for Hermione. Harry and Draco were at her house constantly over the holidays, and most days they were joined by Daphne, Blaise, Theo and Luna. Over the course of the holidays, Hermione really bonded with Luna, and she really seemed to easily fit into the friendship Hermione and Daphne had already formed. The result meant that for the first time in her life, Hermione had some really good friends who were girls. Of course, she'd always had Harry and Draco and she knew she'd never lose either of them, but it was good to have some female friends.

On the last day of the holidays, Hermione spent the day alone with Draco. Harry and Daphne were having a romantic day of their own, leaving Hermione and Draco to enjoy their first real private time since she'd been taken ill and admitted to hospital. Lying on a picnic blanket in the back garden, Hermione was content to soak up the sun as she lay with her head resting on Draco's shoulder.

"I can't believe it's back to school tomorrow," Draco sighed as he toyed with Hermione's curls.

"I know, it's great, isn't it?" Hermione enthused.

"Have you really missed it that much?" Draco asked his girlfriend.

"No, I've really missed seeing you every day," Hermione confessed with a small smile. "I know you and Harry have been visiting me, but it just hasn't been the same. Besides, it would be nice for us to have some time alone."

"You mean like now?" Draco laughed.

"I meant private time, where we're both wearing distinctly less clothing," Hermione purred as she rolled over and softly brushed her lips against Draco's.

"As long as we're careful," Draco muttered.

"Careful?" Hermione frowned down at her boyfriend. "I hope you're not going to start treating me like an invalid because of what happened. Honestly, I can live a perfectly normal life and that includes having passionate sex with my boyfriend."

"I didn't mean careful like that," Draco chuckled. "I meant careful as in making sure you don't end up pregnant."

"Ah, I get it, you don't want to have children with me," Hermione said with a mock pout.

"Not this young I don't," Draco retorted. "But I was more thinking about how I would end up if you got pregnant. It would certainly be the only chance I'd ever have of having kids, as once your father had finished with me, I don't think I would be able to even have sex again."

"Just what does my father have to do with anything?" Hermione questioned.

"I didn't tell you, did I?" Draco said, suddenly remembering that Hermione had still been seriously ill when he'd had his chat with Voldemort.

"Tell me what?" Hermione asked warily as she sat up. Her boyfriend had already mentioned her parents knowing they were sleeping together, but he'd failed to mention a further conversation in regards to their sleeping arrangements. "Please say, Father didn't threaten you."

"Just a little bit," Draco replied. "First, he thanked me for saving your life then he warned me that there would be trouble if I got your pregnant. I don't think he's ready for his little princess to have children."

"I don't think his little princess is ready for children either," Hermione retorted. "Don't worry Draco, I'm always careful. I have no intention of becoming a mother just yet. I have plans you know, and they don't involve children for several more years."

"And just what are these plans of yours?" Draco asked. "I hope they include me."

"They do," Hermione confirmed. "I'm not letting you go, Draco. You're mine."

"I always have been," Draco replied, pulling Hermione back down onto the blanket as he reconnected their lips in a heated kiss.

The couple fooled around for fifteen minutes or so before they settled back down and Hermione filled Draco in on her plans for the future. She hadn't exactly been idle while she was ill, and over the last few weeks she'd given a lot of thought to her future. Even though she still had one more year to go at Hogwarts, she knew just what she wanted to do once school was over with.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked when she finished telling Draco her plans for the future, which pretty much involved her totally overhauling and resorting the school system in the wizarding world and running Hogwarts in her own vision.

"Honestly, I'm shocked," Draco admitted.

"In a bad way?" Hermione questioned with a small frown.

"No, I think your plans are brilliant, they're just not what I expected," Draco replied. "But as long as you're happy, I say go for it."

"You know me, I always like to do the unexpected and surprise people," Hermione said with a grin. "I'm sure most people will think I want nothing more to be Minister of Magic and rule the wizarding world."

"I admit, the thought had crossed my mind," Draco said. "I could picture you and Harry fighting over who was going to take over and ensure all The Dark Lord's hard work wasn't in vain."

"I'll still be doing that, just in another way," Hermione replied. "This way, I can focus on the future of our world and ensure that the children of the future are all children of the dark."

"If anyone can do it, you can," Draco assured his girlfriend with a smile.

Smiling back at Draco, Hermione leant over and connected their lips yet again. This time it was the end of the conversation, and the pair spent the remainder of the afternoon getting physically reacquainted with one another.


	34. Chapter 34

Ginny's Easter break wasn't fun filled in the slightest. The family were still reeling from Ron's death, and there was an empty feeling in the house without him. For Ginny, who'd never lived without Ron in her life, his absence was hard to deal with. She spent hours up in his room, crying over the brother she'd lost thanks to the dark.

Ginny had been hoping the holidays would give her a chance to talk tactics with Bill and Charlie, but for most of the holidays her brothers were elusive and always disappearing. It was only on the last afternoon of the holidays, when Ginny was sitting down beside the lake where Ron had died, that Bill and Charlie approached her to talk about their future plans.

"Whatever we do, we have to be careful," Bill warned his little sister. "The rest of the family want to stay out of things, but we can't let this go."

"Mum won't just sit back and do nothing," Ginny argued. Her other brothers and her father might be happy to pretend that Ron wasn't killed, but she knew her mother wasn't the sort to let injustices stand.

"Mum's in no fit state to do anything right now," Charlie replied. Since Ron's death, Molly had been like a zombie sleepwalking her way through life, and while they all hoped she would regain some of her old spark, she wasn't anywhere near that stage yet.

"So what are we going to do?" Ginny asked.

"You're going to keep out of trouble and not give Harry and Hermione a reason to come after you," Bill began. "I know it will be hard," He added as Ginny opened her mouth to protest. "But just get to the end of the year without interacting with them."

"I can do that," Ginny admitted. To be honest it was pretty much what she planned on doing until she could think of some way of paying them back for what had happened to Ron. "But I still want to get the pair of them."

"And we will," Charlie reassured his sister.

"So what's the plan?" Ginny repeated.

"First, we want to see if we can find Remus," Bill answered. "He hasn't been seen since the attack on Grimmauld Place, and even though we're assuming the dark have him, we don't know for certain. Charlie and I have started the search, and we'll continue it while you're at school."

"Then what?" Ginny asked.

"Then we have to figure out what to do with You-Know-Who," Charlie answered. "We already know he can't be killed thanks to his Horcruxes, and since we lost the two we did have, we're never going to get them all and destroy them."

"But we can kill everyone else, his wife, children and grandson," Ginny argued.

"We can," Bill agreed. "But before we can even think about taking them out, we need to render You-Know-Who useless. If we just kill his family as things stand, he'll come after us and none of us will survive."

"We need him incapacitated," Ginny said thoughtfully. "If we can trap him somehow, the rest of his family will be easy pickings."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Ginny," Charlie warned. "Yes, You-Know-Who is a problem, but the rest of his family are no pushovers. They're not going to be easy to take out, even if we have removed him from the picture."

"Although before we even think about taking anyone out, we need to find a way to hold You-Know-Who captive somewhere," Bill said. "Until we can get him into a trap of some kind, we can't touch his family."

"We'll think of something, I know we will," Ginny said with confidence.

"Of course we will," Bill agreed. "The dark do have a weakness, and that is their ego. They think they're untouchable. They're so smug and so sure that no-one can bring them down. But we're going to prove otherwise. It might take us a while, but we're going to bring their entire family crashing down. We will wipe out the dark, and we will never stop fighting."

With her brothers filling her in on their plans, Ginny felt much better. And even though returning to school and ignoring Harry and Hermione was going to be hard, she could do it. She could play the long game, and just when Harry, Hermione and their family got complacent, they would strike. The war was far from over, and the light side were a long way from giving up the fight. They would wrestle back control of the wizarding world, even if it took them years to eradicate Voldemort and his dark forces.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Even though Hermione was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, she was still nervous as she boarded The Hogwarts Express after the Easter break. It felt like every single student was watching her as she walked down the train with Harry and Draco. Keeping her head held high, Hermione greeted the few people who spoke and reassured the couple of people who asked that she was doing great and was feeling no ill effects from her hospital stay. Finally, they reached the compartment that their friends had already grabbed and Hermione disappeared into the compartment, out of the view of all the gossiping students.

"I wish people would stop staring," Hermione grouched as she settled down in a spare seat.

"People like nothing better than to gossip," Daphne remarked as Harry sat down beside her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Just ignore them, they'll soon get bored," Draco said, joining Hermione and throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, they'll find someone else to talk about before long," Blaise agreed.

"Let's hope so," Hermione muttered.

Thankfully, her friends didn't spend too long dwelling on the fact she was back, and as the train set off back up to Scotland it was like she'd never been away. Nestled happily against Draco, Hermione spent most of the journey sitting back and enjoying the company of her friends. She also watched the way Harry and Daphne were interacting, and was pleased to see that their romance seemed to be coming along swimmingly. Blaise and Luna also seemed closer than ever, and only poor Theo was left on his own.

"I think we need to find Theo a girlfriend," Hermione whispered to Draco, once she was sure Theo was too distracted by a game of exploding snap he was playing with Harry and Blaise to overhear them.

"Why?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Because he's the only single one in the group," Hermione pointed out.

"Vince and Greg don't have girlfriends," Draco argued.

"But they don't spend as much time with us," Hermione retorted. "Poor Theo is going to start feeling out of place among all us couples."

"And just who are you going to set him up with?" Draco asked. "The only available witch I can think of is Pansy, and she's already tried to ensnare Theo."

"I wouldn't inflict Pansy on him, I like Theo," Hermione replied. "And there has to be someone out there for him. Leave it to me, and I'll find Theo the perfect girl."

"If you say so," Draco said, knowing it was better not to argue with Hermione. If she wanted to find Theo a girlfriend, who was he to stop her.

"I do say so," Hermione said, her mind already running through the girls at Hogwarts as she tried to find a suitable one for Theo.

By the time they reached Hogsmeade station, Hermione still didn't have anyone in particular in mind to set Theo up with, but she wasn't going to give up. She would find him a girlfriend in time, but right now her focus was back on her return to Hogwarts.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked Hermione as they disembarked from the train and she paused to take in the sight of the castle, looming over Hogsmeade.

"Just a bit nervous for some reason," Hermione admitted.

"You've got nothing to be nervous about," Harry said as he gave his aunt a quick hug. "No-one will cause trouble. They wouldn't dare."

Of course Harry was right, and there wasn't even a hint of trouble as Hermione settled back into school. The majority of people ignored her return, and those that acknowledged the fact she was back seemed genuinely happy to see her. One of those people happy to see her was Neville, and much to Hermione's surprise he greeted her with a hug in the middle of the Great Hall.

"It's so good to have you back, Hermione," He said with a shy smile.

"It's good to be back, Neville," Hermione replied. "And thank you for your get well messages. Harry said that you were always asking after me."

"I was worried about you," Neville replied with an embarrassed shrug. "You've always been nice to me, Hermione."

"That's because you're my friend, Neville," Hermione said with a smile. She really was happy that Neville hadn't fully joined the Order as she would hate to think of the sweet boy she'd always liked as an enemy.

While Neville was happy to have Hermione back, one person who didn't seem as thrilled with Ginny. Even though she never uttered a word, the redheaded witch spent the entire meal glaring at Hermione hatefully. For her part, Hermione ignored Ginny and chatted to Harry and Neville, and on occasions she gave Ginny her coldest stare which seemed to rattle the younger witch somewhat.

"Can you believe she hasn't said a word?" Hermione asked Harry as they left the Great Hall and headed up to Gryffindor Tower not far behind Ginny.

"She's been like this since her return," Harry replied. "We did have one run in, on her first day back where I warned her off."

"Maybe she heeded the warning," Hermione suggested, even though she didn't quite believe it. Ginny was far too stubborn to be warned off, even if Harry had managed to scare her.

"I'd like to think so, but I don't quite believe it," Harry said, voicing just what Hermione was thinking. "I think she's lulling us into a false sense of security."

"Do you think she has something planned?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, but we should stay alert," Harry replied. "Let's not give her the opportunity to take us by surprise."

"We'll keep an eye on her," Hermione vowed as the pair headed into Gryffindor Tower.

Once in Gryffindor Tower, talk of Ginny and what she could be planning went out of the window. Settling down beside the fire, Hermione played wizard's chess with Neville, while on the other side of the fire, Harry talked quidditch with Dean and Seamus. There was still one more match to go in the season, and as always the title was going to go to either Gryffindor or Slytherin.

"We have to win this year," Harry said firmly.

After kicking Ginny off the team, he'd replaced her with Seamus, who worked well with Dean and Alicia. In actual fact, Seamus fitted into the trio better than Ginny had done and Harry was regretting not picking the Irishman at the initial try-outs. Maybe if he had, Gryffindor would have already won the cup and he wouldn't have to think about Slytherin taking the prize for the second year in a row.

"We can do it," Seamus said confidently. "Slytherin are good, but we're better."

Harry had to agree with Seamus. Even though Draco had built a solid team, they lacked the flair his three chasers had. Theo and Astoria were both good chasers, but their third one, a fourth year, was average at best. And in Slytherins last match, Harry had sensed that their third chaser was reluctant to pass to Astoria. It was as though he didn't want to be outscored by a girl. Then there was the fact that Astoria's presence on the team wasn't as shocking anymore. Everyone knew she was playing and as such, her presence didn't distract like the way it had the previous year when she'd gotten a last minute place on the team.

"Even so, I think we should have some extra practices," Harry said.

"I'm sure Slytherin will be doing the same thing," Dean pointed out.

"Not if their captain is otherwise engaged," Harry replied with a smirk as he glanced over to where Hermione was sitting with Neville. He couldn't be sure, but given the fact she'd been away for several weeks, he was betting she and Draco would be spending a lot of time together, meaning his friend wouldn't have a lot of spare time to think about quidditch.

"You're going to get Hermione to distract Malfoy?" Dean asked. "Would she do that?"

"She will if she doesn't realise what she's doing," Harry answered. "Just don't mention quidditch where Hermione is. Since she doesn't play, she'll forget about the final matches and won't mind spending time with Draco when he should be practising."

"And won't Malfoy think about extra practices?" Seamus asked. "He won't just forget in order to spend time with Hermione."

"I don't know, I would," Dean said admiringly as he watched Hermione laugh happily at something Neville had said. "She's pretty fit."

"Exactly, and Draco is head over heels for her," Harry replied. "Believe me, if it's a choice between quidditch and Hermione, Draco will pick Hermione every time. This is it, boys, this is our chance to win the quidditch cup."

Sharing happy grins with Dean and Seamus, Harry just hoped he was right. He really wanted to win the quidditch cup, and it really felt as though this was his year. Now all he had to do was wait and see if fate smiled on him. After all, a lot had gone their way this year so it would only be right if he won the quidditch cup in his first year as captain, just as Draco had the year before.


	35. Chapter 35

The last term of sixth year got off to a smooth start, with none of the dramas that had plagued the term before. Ginny was surprisingly quiet, keeping to herself and never engaging with Harry or Hermione. Of course, whenever she was in their vicinity she shot the pair dirty looks, but she refrained from making her mouth go. From what Harry and Hermione could see, Ginny was just focusing on her exams. However, the pair kept an eye on the redhead as neither of them trusted her, and they were just waiting for her to strike out.

In fact the entire school seemed free from drama and the only tension Hermione spotted was with Professor McGonagall. At first she thought McGonagall's frosty demeanour was down to the fact she wasn't happy Hermione was back, but she soon realised that the head of Gryffindor seemed to be in a permanently dark mood. When she mentioned it to Harry and Draco the boys informed her that McGonagall had been fuming since Severus had been off and he'd placed Lucius in charge instead of her.

As the term progressed, Harry was pleased to find his theory about Hermione distracting Draco from his quidditch coming true. As captain, he was aware of the practice schedule, and he knew Slytherin didn't have any extra practices scheduled. Of course, the Slytherins were still practising, but they weren't putting in the extra hours Harry was making sure the Gryffindors were putting in.

While Harry and the Gryffindors were practicing as often as possible, Draco was enjoying spending time with Hermione. In fact he barely gave quidditch a thought, until the day of the big match with Gryffindor and he remembered that the winner of the match would win the quidditch cup. Even though Draco was convinced his team were good enough to beat Gryffindor, he still kicked himself for not putting in the extra practice.

"It's too late now," Theo snorted as Draco mentioned his reservations as the team got ready for the match in the changing rooms.

"Yeah, we'll just have to hope we're prepared enough," Blaise added. "I hear the Gryffindors have been having extra practices."

"When did you hear this?" Draco asked with a frown.

"It's not a secret, Draco," Theo said. "They've been training for weeks."

"And neither of you thought to mention it to me?" Draco questioned. "I could have organised for us to have some extra practices."

"What, and disturb your time with Hermione?" Blaise chuckled. "We wouldn't have dared."

"You still should have mentioned something," Draco muttered, even though he was aware that he was the one who had dropped the ball with the practices.

Draco was still muttering about the lack of practice the team had as they made their way out onto the pitch.

"Feeling nervous?" Harry asked with a smirk as his best friend arrived with his team behind him.

"Why? Are you?" Draco countered, thinking how calm and confident the Gryffindor team looked.

"Never," Harry answered with a grin as he mounted his broom and took off into the sky with his team.

Following Harry's lead, Draco mounted his own broom and soared off into the sky along with the other Slytherins. After giving his team a brief talk, they soared into their positions as Draco made his way into the centre of the pitch where Madam Hooch was waiting for him and Harry. Once the pair had shaken hands, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, released the balls and the game got underway.

Almost immediately, Draco could see the work the Gryffindors had put into their game. Their three chasers were working in perfect harmony, and unlike last year, their keeper wasn't distracted by Astoria. By now, everyone was used to Astoria, and while she was a really good player, her presence on the team didn't cause the stir it initially had.

Tearing his attention away from the rest of the team, Draco focused on his own part. He would just have to trust his team could keep up with Gryffindor, and hope he could get to the snitch before Harry. Unfortunately, Harry was flying like a demon and Draco knew if his best friend spotted the snitch first he wouldn't stand a chance of getting to it first. He had to spot the snitch before Harry if he wanted Slytherin to win the game and the cup for the second year running.

As he looked for the snitch, Draco kept an eye on the score and he was pleased to find that his team were keeping up admirably. Gryffindor were always a few goals ahead, but they never got so far ahead that Draco had to worry about his team catching up before he caught the snitch. Gryffindor may have been playing better than Slytherin, but the team in green and silver weren't getting left in the dust.

As the game wore on, the two teams stayed close enough on points that it became clear the seekers were going to determine the match. It was going to come down to which seeker caught the snitch, and after nearly an hours play, Draco hadn't seen hide nor hair of the little golden ball. Harry on the other hand had spotted the snitch twice, although both times he'd lost it again.

Finally, as the game ticked over into its ninetieth minute, Draco caught sight of the snitch fluttering beside the Professors stand. Quick as a flash, he was off after the snitch, but before he knew it, Harry was right at his side. Neck and neck the two boys raced towards the stand where the Professors were sitting, the golden snitch firmly in their sights.

"Not this year, Draco," Harry called as he surged forward and grabbed the snitch from under Draco's nose.

"Shit," Draco swore loudly as his momentum carried him into the Professors stand and he ended up coming to a halt inches from where his father was sitting, just as Madam Hooch blew her whistle and declared Gryffindor the winners.

"Tough luck, Draco," Lucius said with a sympathetic smile.

"It wasn't luck, we were underprepared," Draco admitted. "I was underprepared."

"Women have a tendency to do that to you," Lucius said with a sly smile. "They make you forget all about the important things, like quidditch."

"Yeah, but it's so worth it," Draco replied, smiling as he thought of the hours he'd spent with Hermione while he could have been practising.

"Just remember that's my sister you're talking about Draco," Severus said from beside Lucius as he gave his godson an unimpressed glare.

"Sorry," Draco replied with a wince. Sometimes, he did have a tendency to forget he was surrounded by so many of Hermione's family. He often did the same thing with Harry, only for his best friend to remind him that Hermione was family and he didn't want to hear the details of their love life.

"Hadn't you better get back to your team?" Lucius asked his son pointedly. Both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin teams had returned to the ground, but the Slytherins were standing despondently waiting for their captain to join them.

"Yeah, I guess I should," Draco said with a sigh.

Remounting his broom, he flew down to join his team. After apologising for the loss to the rest of his teammates, he congratulated Harry, before leading the Slytherins off to change. Once they were out of their gear, they headed down to the dungeons for a night of consolation. There was always next year for them to regain the quidditch cup.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Since returning to school, Hermione had given a lot of thought to her promise to fix Theo up with a girl. When she wasn't with Draco, Hermione was on the lookout for the perfect witch for Theo. She looked straight past Pansy, as she'd already said to Draco, she liked Theo too much to land him with someone as annoying and social climbing as Pansy. She also ruled out the other Slytherins girls in their year. Millicent was quite shy, and Hermione just couldn't see her with Theo. As for Tracey, she had an American pen pal that she clearly had a major crush on, and Hermione suspected that she would constantly compare a wizard she was dating with the wizard she was exchanging letters with.

While the Slytherin girls were quickly ruled out, so were the Gryffindors. Lavender and Parvati were shallow, muckraking witches in Hermione's opinion and she didn't think either of them deserved Theo. However, Hermione did have a different opinion of Parvati's twin sister, Padma, who was in Ravenclaw. Unlike Parvati, who seemed to live for idle gossip, Padma was a more serious student, and unlike Parvati she'd never shown any animosity towards Hermione because of who her father was.

Since Hermione wanted her matchmaking to work, she didn't rush in with setting Theo and Padma up. She took her time to befriend Padma, and try to work out if she was suitable for Theo. She also wanted to work out if Padma actually liked Theo, so she was relieved when she got Padma to admit she thought Theo was cute. Once she had Padma's admission that she found Theo cute, Hermione set about organising a date between the pair.

Not wanting to put too much pressure on the pair of them by arranging a blind date, Hermione suggested they all go to Hogsmeade together. She and Draco would be there, along with Harry and Daphne and Blaise and Luna. When Theo had complained about being the odd one out, Hermione had mentioned setting him up on a date. Theo hadn't been sure about the date, by Draco had persuaded him that it would be easier if he just went along with what Hermione had planned.

"So who is this mystery witch?" Theo asked Draco as they waited in the front hallway along with Blaise and Daphne.

"Beats me," Draco replied with a shrug. "Hermione is being very secretive about the whole thing."

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Theo muttered.

"If you don't want to do this, you should have said," Blaise told his friend.

"And told Hermione, no?" Theo snorted. "I don't think she understands the meaning of no."

"It is easier to just go along with what she wants," Draco said wisely as Harry came down the stairs alone.

"You have to be talking about Hermione," Harry remarked.

"How did you guess?" Draco asked with a grin.

"I know my aunt," Harry replied. "And Draco's right, it's easier to just go with what Hermione wants."

"Speaking of which, where is Hermione?" Theo asked nervously.

"She went to meet Luna and the mystery witch," Harry replied.

"So, she's a Ravenclaw?" Theo asked.

"Not a clue," Harry answered with a shrug as he gave Theo a sympathetic smile, before turning to Daphne and greeting his girlfriend.

A few minutes later, Draco nudged Theo as Hermione appeared on the stairs, with Luna and another girl beside her. Together the trio walked down to the waiting group, and while Luna walked straight into Blaise's arms, Hermione turned to Theo.

"Theo, this is Padma," Hermione said.

"I do know Padma," Theo answered with a roll of his eyes. In actual fact, he'd spoken to Padma a few times in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.

"Padma is your date," Hermione explained.

"I got that as well, Hermione," Theo replied, before turning to Padma with a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Padma returned with a smile of her own. "This is awkward, isn't it?"

"Just a bit," Theo admitted. "It's really good for the image to have my best mate's girlfriend finding me a date," He added sarcastically.

"Am I a disappointment?" Padma asked, biting her lower lip.

"Actually, no you're not," Theo replied.

"See, the pair of you are hitting it off already," Hermione gushed, throwing her boyfriend a triumphant look.

"Instead of everyone standing here, watching Theo and Padma getting to know one another, why don't we head down to Hogsmeade?" Draco suggested.

"Thanks," Theo whispered to Draco as the group started to leave the castle.

Thankfully for Theo and Padma, Hermione backed off as the group headed down to Hogsmeade. Draco easily kept his girlfriend distracted, and the two other couples were so caught up in each other that Theo and Padma got a chance to get to know one another. Over the course of the trip, the pair got along swimmingly, although Padma did admit that she would never fight for the dark.

"You don't need to fight, Padma," Theo said. "Ask Hermione, her father isn't interested in fighting. Unless you're going to fight him, he won't fight you."

"I'm not fighting anyone, I just want to live my life in peace," Padma replied.

"Me too," Theo answered with a grin.

"Look at them," Hermione whispered to Draco as she watched Theo and Padma smiling at each other. "They're a match made in heaven."

"We'll see," Draco replied with a chuckle.

Although as the afternoon wore on and he watched his friend and Padma laughing and chatting together like old friends, Draco had to admit Hermione had picked a good witch for Theo. Padma could be just the match his friend needed, and it would be nice for him if he wasn't the odd one out without a girlfriend. However, they would just have to wait and see how things progressed between the pair. One afternoon in Hogsmeade didn't mean Theo and Padma were loves young dream and were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Anything could happen, although Draco was hoping his friend would find happiness, just like the happiness he'd found with Hermione.


	36. Chapter 36

Aside from quidditch and Hermione's matchmaking, the action for the sixth years during the last term consisted of apparition lessons, and a subsequent test. The weekly lessons started the first week back, and during the last week of term the sixth years were taken down to Hogsmeade to take their actual tests.

As they waited for their turn to take the test, Hermione and Harry sat with the Slytherins as they discussed the tests and what would happen. There was an air of nervousness around the group as they prepared to take their apparition test.

"Just think, from now on there's no more having to ask permission to go somewhere," Blaise said. "You can just pop off whenever you feel like it."

"I'm not sure I'll be doing much apparating," Daphne said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "I hate the dizzy feeling that comes with apparition. It's bad enough with side along apparition, but it's even worse on your own."

"I find the dizziness is worse when someone else is in charge," Theo remarked.

"I just think apparition in general is unappealing," Daphne said with a shrug. "I'd rather floo."

"Or fly," Harry added.

"Not everything comes back to flying, Harry," Hermione snorted with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't know, flying is in important part of life," Harry said seriously.

"Please, flying is a hobby, nothing more," Hermione retorted.

"It's a career if you're a quidditch player," Harry shot back.

"Tell me you've got more ambition than becoming a quidditch player," Hermione said, scowling at her nephew.

"I don't know, being a quidditch player sounds good to me," Harry replied with a sly grin. He actually had no intention of becoming a quidditch player, but he knew the idea would wind Hermione up.

Sure enough, Hermione rose to the bait spectacularly and she began to lecture Harry on his future and how he was made for something more than playing quidditch for the rest of his life. Instead of putting Hermione straight, Harry let her rant until her name was called and it was time for her to go and take her apparition test.

"You do know she won't drop this, don't you?" Draco asked Harry with a chuckle as his girlfriend stomped off to take her test. "She'll lecture you until she's convinced she's persuaded you to drop your idea of playing quidditch."

"I know," Harry replied with a mischievous grin. "I'm just curious how long it'll take her to realise I'm not serious."

"You're not?" Theo frowned. "I also thought you were serious."

"Nah," Harry replied. "Don't get me wrong, I love flying and I love quidditch, but only as a bit of fun. Besides, I'm sure Grandpa will have some plans for mine and Hermione's future. Knowing him, he's probably going to pit us against each other to see who wants to rule the world."

"I can tell you now that Hermione isn't interested in ruling the world, she has plans of her own," Draco supplied.

"What plans?" Harry asked.

"You'd have to ask her yourself," Draco remarked, just as Hermione came sauntering back over to the group with a wide grin on her face.

"I take it you passed?" Harry asked.

"With flying colours," Hermione replied with a grin as she sat back down next to Draco. "As I'm sure everyone else will do as well," She added, spotting the nervous look on Theo's face.

"Let's hope you're right," Theo mumbled.

As it turned out, Hermione was right and the entire group passed. Aside from Daphne, who had a small incident with leaving her eyebrows behind, no-one had any problems passing their test. Even Daphne's little blemish wasn't a big enough mistake to stop her from passing her test. Although she immediately declared that she would be apparating as little as possible in the future.

With all their tests done and dusted, the group headed back up to Hogwarts to enjoy the final few days of the year. All too soon they would be going home for the summer, and when they returned in September, they would be entering their final year at Hogwarts.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The end of the year rolled around in a flash, and Hermione was pleased to be heading home for the holidays. Even though she'd mainly recovered from her transplant, there were still times when she got tired easier than before and she was looking forward to having a few months relaxation. At least during the summer holidays, she would have Harry and Draco around all the time, unlike the weeks she'd been stuck at home while her boyfriend and nephew had been in school.

On the journey home, Hermione curled up in the corner of the compartment with Crookshanks and a book, while the rest of the group found ways to pass the time. Hermione was pleased to notice Padma dropped by the compartment a couple of times, and she and Theo seemed to be getting along nicely.

"So, you're still with Padma then?" Hermione asked, after one visit where the pretty Ravenclaw witch had promised to try and meet Theo in the holidays.

"We're taking it slowly," Theo answered with a smile.

"How's slow is slowly?" Blaise questioned, arching a suggestive eyebrow at his friend.

"We've had one official date, Blaise," Theo replied. He would have made some remark about Blaise's own relationship, but Luna was sitting right next to Blaise, and he didn't want to embarrass the younger witch.

"There's nothing wrong with taking things slowly," Daphne said.

"I take it that means you're not getting any, Harry?" Blaise cackled.

"A bit like you," Luna remarked quickly, glaring playfully at her boyfriend.

"Ouch," Theo laughed. "Nice to see who's in charge in your relationship, Blaise."

"I'm not in charge, we just haven't reached that serious stage in our relationship yet," Luna corrected.

"Not everything is about sex, Theo," Daphne said, backing Luna up.

"Hey, I didn't start this, Blaise did," Theo protested. "I have no interest in anyone's sex life."

"From the sounds of things, the only people in this compartment with a sex life are Hermione and Draco," Blaise chuckled.

"And no-one wants to hear about that," Harry quickly injected, shooting his aunt and best friend a warning glance before they shared anything.

"Don't worry Harry, I have no intention of talking about my sex life, no matter how great it is," Hermione replied with a mischievous grin.

With a shudder of revulsion, Harry quickly changed the subject to what the group were going to be getting up to over the summer holidays. By the time the train pulled into King's Cross Station, the group didn't really know what their plans for the summer were, but they were all in agreement that they should try and meet up a few times.

On the platform, Narcissa and Beth were waiting to whisk the trio off home. Before they parted ways, dinner at the manor was mentioned, so all three of the trio headed home knowing they would see each other in only a few hours.

Sure enough a couple of hours later, everyone gathered at the manor. Voldemort, Beth and Hermione arrived shortly before Severus, Rosmerta and Harry. As usual, dinner was a spectacular affair with the Malfoy house elves having prepared a top class meal.

"So what was teaching like?" Voldemort asked Lucius.

"Different," Lucius replied. "I wasn't too sure at first, but as the year wore on, I really got into it. There's some seriously talented students at that school."

"Yeah, and three of them are sitting at this table," Draco replied with a grin.

"I suppose you three aren't bad," Lucius said, smirking at his son. "But I've seen better."

"I doubt it," Draco snorted.

"Lucius is right, there's some serious magic at Hogwarts," Beth added. "And of course there's some students who can barely hold a wand. Sometimes the difference in ability is staggering."

"I noticed that," Lucius said. "Some kids just don't seem in tune with their magic."

"Maybe what they need is teaching from a younger age," Hermione suggested.

"You could be onto something there," Severus said to his sister. "It would make our lives easier if the children had a better grasp of magic when they first arrived at Hogwarts. Sometimes I feel like the first years waste so much time just learning the basics of magic."

"Tell me about it," Beth said with a sigh. "I feel like I taught the first years nothing at all."

"You'll just have to make up for it next year, Beth," Narcissa said with a chuckle.

"Actually, I won't be returning to Hogwarts next year," Beth admitted, sharing a secretive smile with her husband.

"Why not?" Hermione asked with a frown. She was under the impression that both her mother and Lucius would be teaching at Hogwarts until she, Harry and Draco graduated.

"Go on," Voldemort urged his wife when she gave him a questioning look.

"I won't be returning, because I'm pregnant," Beth announced.

Rosmerta and Narcissa immediately offered their congratulations, as did Lucius. As for Harry, Hermione and Severus, their shock was evident for everyone to see. Severus was the first to recover from the shock and he congratulated his father and step-mother.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a big brother again," He chuckled.

"And I'm getting a new aunt or uncle," Harry added. "I have to admit, I didn't see this one coming."

"Nor did we," Voldemort chuckled.

"So this wasn't planned?" Rosmerta asked.

"No, it was not," Beth replied. "I thought having children was something I'd long since left behind. But we're very pleased with the news."

"And we're hoping everyone will be as happy as we are," Voldemort said, staring pointedly at his daughter. Hermione had yet to react and she was sitting looking as though someone had stunned her.

"Hermione," Draco hissed, elbowing his girlfriend into action.

"Sorry," Hermione said, looking up at her parents. "It's just a shock."

"Tell me about it," Beth replied with a smile. "So what do you think? Are you ready to be a big sister?"

"I guess so," Hermione replied, smiling slightly at the idea of getting a baby brother or sister. "As long as you guys are happy."

"We are," Beth answered, smiling at her daughter as she took hold of her husband's hand. "It might be a bit of a surprise, but we think it's a good one."

"I think it's amazing," Rosmerta said with a wistful smile.

"I think this baby might not be the only one in the near future," Lucius remarked, giving Severus and Rosmerta a knowing look.

"Who can tell?" Severus replied with a shrug. "A baby would be nice."

"It would," Rosmerta agreed. "But first we need to get married."

"Have you set a date yet?" Draco asked. He knew Severus and Rosmerta had been sorting the wedding while Severus had been off work, but he hadn't heard anything about a date for the wedding.

"We have," Rosmerta replied. "We're getting married at the beginning of August."

"And I need a best man," Severus said, looking to his son. "Fancy doing the honours, Harry?"

"I'd love to," Harry beamed.

"I think we need to celebrate," Lucius declared, summoning a house elf and asking for a bottle of champagne.

Five minutes later, everyone was toasting the future. Not only did they have a wedding to look forward to, but there would soon be another baby in their lives. Things were looking good for the dark side, at least from inside the manor.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

While celebrations were rife inside Malfoy Manor, a shadowy figure was watching the house from a nearby hill. Standing alone on a hilltop, was Remus Lupin. Since escaping from Grimmauld Place, he'd been living under the radar as he plotted his revenge against the dark. Not only had he been injured during the attack, but he'd lost Tonks and Sirius had been placed back in Azkaban. He knew he could have turned to the Weasleys, but they'd had their own problems. He was better off on his own.

As he stood watching Malfoy Manor, the lights from the house glowing in the dark, Remus became aware of the moon appearing overhead. Normally, he hid himself away on a full moon, but not anymore. He'd fought the wolf within him for long enough, it was time to embrace his inner animal and cause some damage. It was time he showed the dark just who they were messing with.

As the thoughts of vengeance ran around in his head, Remus felt the transformation take place. Within seconds the wizard he normally was had disappeared, and in its place stood a skinny wolf. Raising his head to the moon, Remus let out a bloodcurdling howl which rumbled through the valley he was standing in. Hoping the noise had travelled down to the manor and they were worried about what could be in store for them, Remus loped away. His revenge was imminent, and while he wouldn't be striking tonight, there was a full moon every month and before long he would pounce and the dark would regret the day they ever took on Remus Lupin and the Order of the Phoenix.

 **T** **h** **e** **E** **n** **d** **.**

* * *

 **A/N – I hope everyone enjoyed year 6 of COTD. There will be a short gap of a few weeks before I start posting year 7, as I'm still working on the end of it. As I'm sure most of you noticed there wasn't a collection piece this week, and they might be a bit more intermittent as I try and write a few more. While COTD is my priority at the moment, I am still trying to write other things, which is why things are progressing a bit slower than I would like. But the end is definitely in sight for this epic tale. Thanks for reading, and thank you for all your reviews.**


	37. sequel notification

**A/N – Children of the Dark – Year 7 is now up.**


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